Where We Got To
by Onetreehillfan1988
Summary: Sequel to Where Do I Go From Here? Deals with everybody’s kids as well as the lives of the adults. If you haven’t read the first story I suggest you go back and read it.
1. Chapter 1

Where We Got To

Summary: Sequel to "Where Do I Go From Here?" Deals with everybody's kids as well as the lives of the adults. If you haven't read the first story I suggest you go back and read it.

Rating: M just in case. May go down to T later.

Disclaimer: I don't own One Tree Hill. I do own any people that are not in the show.

Introduction – The Adults 

**Lucas Scott**: After high school, Lucas married Brooke Davis and went to Charlotte University. He graduated with a master's degree in English and had his first novel published two months later. It would seem that twins run in the family because he has twin boys that were conceived during his honeymoon. Raising two children during college was difficult but he and Brooke managed to make it. He and Jamie no longer have HCM due to a cure that was discovered.

**Brooke Scott**: Brooke studied fashion in college while raising her twin boys. It took her twice as long to finish because of her children but once Lucas was finished she was able to buckle down and get her degree. Her fashion line, Clothes Over Bros is now one of the most famous in the country. When the twins were seven she and Lucas moved from their home in New York to Tree Hill.

**Nathan Scott**: After attending Duke University, Nathan was drafted by the Charlotte Bobcats. Then, two years ago, he retired and became the coach of the Tree Hill Ravens. He has a seventeen-year-old son and a fifteen-year-old daughter.

**Haley Scott**: Haley went with Nathan to Duke and received a degree in teaching. She taught math at a high school in Charlotte then got a job at Tree Hill High when they moved back. She sings at Tric every once in a while.

**Jamie Bradshaw**: Jamie went on tour with Chris and soon after became lead guitarist for a band called Flooded Mindset. About a year later Chris discovered that a woman he had been with had given birth to a child and not told him. The woman had died in a car accident and the boy was given to Chris. Jamie stuck by him and became a mother to the boy. When the boy, Ryan, was three, Chris was killed in a plane crash and Jamie was left to raise Ryan on her own. Being a professional musician and a single mother was difficult but she managed to do it. She spent as much time in Tree Hill as she could so that her son would grow up knowing his family. When Ryan reached high school she decided to stop touring so that he could go to Tree Hill High for all four years.

**Peyton Jagelski**: Peyton married Jake in college and had a daughter with him. She studied art and music and after college moved to California where she owned her own art studio. Now, unbeknownst to anyone, she is moving back to Tree Hill

**Jake Jagelski**: Jake moved to LA with Peyton after she finished school. He became a police officer and eventually a detective. He managed to get a position with Tree Hill P.D. and is moving to be close to his mother. His father recently died and he doesn't want his mother to be alone.

**Karen Roe**: Raising her daughter April, Karen stayed in Tree Hill and did not change much about her life. She loves her grandchildren and has them over as often as possible.

**Deb Scott**: Having Nathan and Haley live with her greatly helped Deb with her sobriety. Eventually she became a motivational speaker and traveled the state speaking at high schools. Now she runs an online business.

Introduction – The Kids 

**David Scott** **and Sean Scott**: Twin sons of Lucas and Brooke. They share a love of basketball, but Sean isn't as good as his brother. His second passion is cooking. He works as a cook at his grandmother's café and has dreams of going to culinary school after he graduates. David on the other wants to be a professional athlete. Like his father and uncle used to, he and his cousin Braden have a competitive relationship and are both hoping to be captain of the Ravens during their final year of school.

**Braden Scott**: Son of Nathan and Haley. He is completely focused on basketball and is head of the popular group. He is also very smart however and often helps his sister with her homework. He used to be a jerk and feel that he was better than everyone because of his famous father but he eventually matured and now tries to look out for the people who are bullied.

**Annabelle Scott**: Daughter of Nathan and Haley. Unlike her brother she tends to treat people like they are below her. She is a cheerleader and has never had a problem fitting in. Her parents hope that she is merely going through a phase and will eventually become less stuck-up.

**April Scott**: April is the second daughter of Karen. Although she is technically an aunt to the others, she sees them as cousins. She is especially close to David and Sean because she grew up with them. She is also rather close to Ryan. April is a lot like her father. She has always liked cars and is employed at a shop much like Keith's. Karen found this to be slightly odd but encouraged her to be her own person. She is not a part of the popular crowd, mostly because a lot of students find it weird that her older brother is also her cousin.

**Ryan Keller**: Ryan is aware that Jamie is not his biological mother but doesn't care. He and his mother are very close and have a lot in common. Growing up he spent a lot of time with his aunt April and his cousins David and Sean. He is fairly close to his cousin Braden but prior to Nathan moving them to Tree Hill, didn't see him very much. Ryan is popular but will hang out with anyone. He is very musically inclined and believes that it came from his mother just as much as his father, who he doesn't remember. He enjoys having a lot of money but hasn't let it go to his head.

**Marie Jagelski**: Marie is new to Tree Hill and doesn't know any of the others. She is an artist like her mother, but is more involved with ceramics than drawing. She is not pleased about starting over at a new school. Her grandfather on her father's side recently died and Jake wants to be close to his mother. Marie is sad about moving but is glad for the chance to get to know her grandmother, as well as her mother's father.

Chapter 1 

The Last Summer

Lucas walked into his son David's room. The boy was lying on his bed with his eyes closed but Lucas knew he wasn't asleep. It was just one of those parenting things that he had picked up.

"Hey Dave, want to go shoot a few hoops at the rivercourt?"

David sat up and smirked. "Are you sure you don't mind being shown up by your kid?"

"Alright smarty pants, let's go."

The two of them hopped into Lucas' car. He still had his uncle Keith's old car and kept it in perfect condition. When they arrived at the rivercourt they started playing, David playing much harder than his father.

Lucas tossed the ball to his son and cleared his throat, a sign that he wanted to talk about something.

"Listen David. I know how important basketball is to you, and how much you want to be made captain. It's a major part of your life and I'm really proud of you. I just want to ask that you don't go on and on about it when you're brother is around. He knows that he isn't as skilled as you and it bothers him. He has other talents and I'm proud of those but he doesn't always see it that way.

David dribbled the ball as he listened to his father. "I know Dad. I'm not trying to make him feel worse, I'm just so excited about being captain."

Lucas nodded. "I understand. I think Sean is happy for you too. He just has a hard time showing it."

"So who do you think will get it? Me or Braden?"

Laughing, Lucas sunk the ball into the hoop. "Who knows? Maybe Nathan will do what Whitey did and make you both captains."

David gave his father a confused look. "What?"

"I never told you? Our senior year, Coach Durham made me and Nathan co-captains."

"Well it may end up being someone else entirely," the boy replied, sinking a three pointer. "I've heard some talk about uncle Nate not being allowed to pick one of us since we're related to him."

Lucas caught the ball and tossed it into the hoop. "I don't think you'll have to worry about that. Everyone knows that you and Braden are the best on the team."

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Karen smiled as she watched her grandson pull the rack out of the oven. "Are you ready to go back to school?"

Sean shrugged. "I guess. The summer didn't seem to last very long though."

"It's your senior year. I'm sure you'll have lots of fun."

Setting the cookies on the counter he shook his head. "What fun is it if I have to watch my brother play basketball?"

"Sean I know you're still upset about not being able to play on the team but you have a lot of things going for you."

"Yeah, well, being able to cook doesn't exactly mean much in high school. I don't even have a lot of friends. I mean, being popular doesn't mean that lots of people want to hang out with me. The only people I ever really hang out with are related to me. Look at me. It's noon on a Saturday and I'm in here baking cookies with my grandma."

Karen smiled and picked up the tray of cookies. "Well you should know that women love men who can cook."

The two of them walked into the front. Karen smiled at the tall blond woman standing at the counter.

"Hey. Can't I get some service around here?"

"Jamie, it's nice to see you. Are you here for lunch?"

Jamie smiled and nodded. "Ryan's meeting me here. How about an iced tea and one of those cookies while I wait."

A few minutes later Ryan arrived and sat down in a booth with his mother. "So do we have plans tonight?"

Jamie looked at her son suspiciously. "What are you trying to get away with?"

"Damn it. You don't miss anything do you?"

"Don't curse. And no I don't miss anything. I'm your mother."

Ryan smiled. Even though he would never admit it, he liked how over protective his mother was. "Okay, there's a party to celebrate the start of senior year and…"

"Will there be drinking?" Jamie interrupted.

"I don't know." Ryan lied.

"Ryan." Jamie said sternly.

"Yes there will be but I won't drink. I know how mad you get about that."

"Ryan it's not that I don't trust you. I used to be a teenager too you know. I just want you to be careful. If you do drink, do not drive home. If you can't find a sober ride home then call me."

"Yeah that's a great idea. Call my mom for a ride home from a party where my friends are drunk."

Karen appeared with their food. "Ryan, don't talk to your mother like that."

The boy brushed his shoulder length hair out of his face. "Yes ma'am."

Jamie smiled at her mother. "Thanks Mom." Turning back to her son she said, "Look, I don't want you to drink but I'm not stupid. I know it can happen. I just worry about you.

Ryan nodded. "I know that Mom. I'll be careful and I won't drive drunk. In fact I'll probably get a ride to the beach with someone.

"Okay. You can go to the party." Their conversation was interrupted by Jamie's cell phone. Flipping it open, she held it to her ear. "Hello… oh… have you called her parents yet? No, I'll come… Okay… Thanks for the heads up."

"What's going on?"

Jamie stood up. "I have to go. I'm sorry about cutting our lunch short."

Ryan nodded. "It's cool. Is everything okay?"

"Yeah. It's just something I have to go take care of."

Karen noticed her daughter standing up. "Jamie are you leaving?"

"Yeah. There's something I have to take care of."

"Okay." Turning to her grandson she said, "Be careful. And wear your helmet."

Ryan walked up and laughed. "Come on Grandma. With all the lectures Mom has given me about motorcycle safety I'd say I know what I'm doing."

Karen nodded. Even though Jamie had been riding motorcycles for the better part of fifteen years she still worried. Now that Ryan had one of his own she worried twice as much. "Okay but you have to promise to be careful."

Sean came out of the kitchen and nodded at Ryan. "Hey man, what's up?"

"Nothing much. I was about to go hang with April. You wanna come?"

"Sure."

Karen and Jamie both looked at the boys sternly. Jamie raised her eyebrows. "Do you have your extra helmet?"

Ryan and Sam both rolled their eyes. "Of course I do Mom. I haven't forgotten what happened last time I let someone ride without one." Everyone laughed again. Jamie had yelled at him for half an hour and then grounded him in front of a room full of people.

Sean held up his keys. "I'm driving my car over there anyways. That way I don't have to get a ride back over here."

Jamie said goodbye and left. Ryan and Sean followed and watched her climb into her car and take off. Waving at her, Ryan hopped onto his motorcycle and Sean got in his car. They went to Karen's house and walked to the porch.

April had taken over Lucas' room when he moved out. She knew her mother didn't like her having a door leading outside but she had proven herself trustworthy. A knock sounded and she got up and opened the door. "Hey guys." She let them in and introduced them to the girl sitting on her bed. "This is Marie Jagelski. She just moved here."

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Jamie walked over to the seat her niece was sitting in and crossed her arms. Annabelle looked up at her with anger on her face.

"So what's the deal? Are they letting me go?"

"Yes they are. Let's go."

They walked out of the police station and over to Jamie's car. "I guess I shouldn't bother asking you not to tell my parents."

Jamie glared at the short brunette. "I just spent the last hour convincing the chief to let you off with a warning. You're damn right I'm gonna tell your parents." Annabelle sat down in the passenger seat and sulked.

When they got to the house, Jamie followed her niece in and told her to wait in the living room.

"You can't order me around in my own house!"

"Sit down or I'll go back to the station and tell Chief Riley that I was wrong and he should charge you with possession." This shut the brunette up. "Wait in here while I call your parents." Jamie walked into the kitchen and picked up the phone. She was about to dial her brother's cell phone when Braden walked in the backdoor, talking on his own cell.

"What? Anna got…" He stopped when he saw his aunt standing there. "Shit. Callie, I gotta go."

"So I guess the word's out."

Braden shrugged. "I guess so. What's gonna happen to her?"

"That's up to your parents. I managed to get the charges dropped. I think it's best if you aren't here when we talk to Anna." Jamie could tell he wanted to be there but was glad he didn't try to argue with her. Normally his protectiveness of his sister was a good thing but right now the last thing she needed was to be coddled.

When Nathan and Haley arrived, Jamie made Annabelle tell them what had happened. Haley was the first to speak. "I don't know what to say. I don't think simply grounding you is going to be enough. I want to know who you got the pot from."

Annabelle quickly glanced at her aunt. "I… I just… I found it."

Jamie sighed. "Look Anna, covering for your friend isn't going to help anyone."

"No way! I'm not a snitch."

Nodding, Jamie stood up. "Okay. I'll let your parents get on with figuring out your punishment. Just remember, if this happens again I won't be able to get you out of it.

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Jake walked into the chief's office and closed the door. "Chief, what happened to that girl? The one I busted for smoking pot at the mall."

Chief Riley motioned at the seat in front of his desk. "Listen Jake, I let her go. Her aunt convinced me that it would be better for the girl to let her parents deal with it."

"What? How could it be better? This girl is nothing but a snobby rich kid and now she knows that her parents' money can get her out of trouble."

"I didn't let her go because her parents have a lot of money. I let her go because the girl's aunt is an old friend of mine and I trust her to keep the kid clean."

"I still don't see how that's ethical."

The chief stood up. "I've known Jamie longer than that girl has been alive. My decision is final."

Jake's eyebrows raised and a look of realization spread across his face. "Jamie… Jamie Bradshaw?"

"Do you know her?"

Letting out a weak laugh, Jake replied, "I did. A long time ago."

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Ryan pulled his motorcycle to a halt and waited while Marie climbed off. He had changed his mind about driving so that he could take the blond with him. She smiled as she handed him the helmet.

"Thanks. I've never been on a motorcycle before."

Smiling, Ryan walked over and leaned against the railing overlooking the beach. "So did you enjoy it?"

"Yeah. I can't believe your parents let you have one."

"It's just me and mom. And she actually has one too. Over the summer we went riding out in the country together."

Standing next to him, Marie took in Ryan's tan, muscled body. "Your mom sounds pretty cool.

Ryan grinned. "Yeah. It's not always easy being a celebrity's kid but…"

Marie raised her eyebrows. "Your mom's famous?"

"Yeah. She used to play in a band called Flooded Mindset. Then she became a solo artist. Her name's Jamie Bradshaw.

"Oh, I have one of her cds. But, wait. I thought your last name was Keller.

"Well she's not my biological mom. My biological mom died when I was one and I was sent to my dad. He and my mom took care of me, then when I was three he died in a plane crash."

"Oh. That's sucks. I'm sorry."

Ryan realized that he had revealed a little more than he had intended to. "It's cool. I don't remember either of them."

Then Sean and April pulled up in Sean's car. Getting out the tall boy shook his head. "Dude, you drive way too fast."

"What's the point of riding a motorcycle if you don't go fast?" Ryan replied with a laugh. "You're just a slowpoke."

The four of them walked down to the beach and eventually found Braden and David sitting on a rock, drinking beer.

Sean caught the beer his brother tossed him and took a gulp. "What's up?"

Braden muttered something inaudible. David nudged him. "They're gonna find out eventually."

The dark haired teen took another drink of his beer before speaking again. "Anna got arrested for smoking pot." Everyone gasped. Braden shook his head, knowing what they were all thinking. "It's okay. Aunt Jamie managed to get the charges dropped but Anna's grounded indefinitely."

April sighed. "Who'd she get it from?"

"No idea. She wouldn't tell. She doesn't think she did anything wrong." Braden offered the others beer but they all shook their heads.

Ryan reached into the cooler and grabbed a Pepsi. "Me and April are designated drivers."

Marie also got a Pepsi and said, "My dad's a cop. There's no way in hell I'm coming home drunk."

This got a laugh out of everyone. A couple hours later, Ryan and Marie ended up sitting by the fire alone. "So Marie, what do you do? I've basically told you my life story but I don't know much about you."

The blond smiled and shrugged. "I'm not really that interesting. I'm into art and music and that's about it."

Ryan laughed. "Awesome. I'm a musician."

"Really?"

"Yeah. My band plays at Tric sometimes. It's a club my grandmother owns. You should come see us play."

Marie smiled. "I'll have to do that."

Ryan chugged the last of his pop and threw the can in the fire. "My mom's playing there tonight. Wanna go? I can get us in free."

"Sure."

April smirked as she watched them walk away. Sean stood next to her and laughed. "What do you think? Love at first sight?"

April smiled and turned back to the crowd. "Well he couldn't keep his eyes off her at home."

Sean looked at his her suspiciously. "Did you set them up on purpose?"

"Maybe."

"Alright miss matchmaker."

April shrugged. "It's about time he got himself a girlfriend."

"Since when do you care about his love life?"

"I don't. It's just weird that he's so popular and still single. If I was that popular I'd sure as hell use it to my advantage."

Sean noticed the look on her face. "Are you alright?"

"Of course."

"April…"

"Okay. It's just kind of hard being the poor kid in the family."

Sean put an arm around April's shoulder. "Hey, it doesn't matter how much money you have. Besides, you know that if you ever need anything, someone will help you out."

April shook her head. "It's not about that. I would love to be a little more popular but I can't. If it's not the fact that I'm not rich or athletic, it's the fact that my brother is also my cousin. I know that it was just weird circumstances that caused that but people at school don't see it that way."

Sean walked beside April as she headed towards his car. "Well if someone messes with you I'll beat them up." he said jokingly. "Come on; don't let this stupid crap ruin your senior year. We're all supposed to be having fun and stuff."

"Okay, I'll try not to."

Sean looked back at the beach. "Are you leaving?"

April shrugged. "I was thinking about it. Can you guys get a ride?"

"Sure. Want me to come with you?"

"I was kind of hoping to be alone but, well it's your car so it's your choice."

Sean shook his head. "It's cool. I'll have someone bring me over tomorrow to get it."

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Ryan and Marie walked into Tric. The place was moderately crowded but the two of them managed to find a table.

Marie smiled. "This place is awesome. I can't believe you got us in like that."

"Yeah well, having my grandma own the place has its benefits."

Ryan got them drinks and they sat down. The looked up at the stage and saw Jamie pick up an acoustic guitar. "Okay, I'm gonna start tonight with an old song. This is 'Breathe' by Michelle Branch.

I've been driving for an hour 

_Just talking to the rain_

_You say I've been driving you crazy_

_And its keeping you away_

_So just give me one good reason_

_Tell me why I should stay_

'_Cause I don't wanna waste another moment_

_in saying things we never meant to say_

_And I take it just a little bit_

_I, hold my breath and count to ten_

_I, I've been waiting for a chance to let you in_

_If I just breathe_

_Let if fill the space between_

_I'll know everything is alright_

_Breathe_

_Every little piece of me_

_You'll see_

_Everything is alright_

_If I just breathe_

_Well it's all so overrated_

_I'm not saying how you feel_

_So you end up watching chances fade_

_And wondering what's real_

_And I give you just a little time_

_I, wonder if you realize_

_I've been waiting till I see it in your eyes_

_If I just breathe_

_Let it fill the space between_

_I'll know everything is alright_

_Breathe,_

_Every little piece of me_

_You'll see_

_Everything is alright_

_If I just breathe_

_Breathe_

_So I whisper in the dark,_

_Hoping you hear me_

_Do you hear me?_

_If I just breathe_

_Let it fill the space between_

_I'll know everything is alright_

_Breathe,_

_Every little piece of me_

_You'll see_

_Everything is alright_

_Everything is alright if I just breathe… breathe_

_I've been driving for an hour_

_Just talking to the rain._

Jamie then played a few of her own songs and a couple more covers. While she was performing she noticed that her son and a girl she didn't recognize were sitting at a table. She held back a smile when she saw that Ryan's attention was completely focused on the girl.

After those songs were done she set her guitar down and walked back to the microphone. "This last song is a cover of Evanescence's 'Bring Me to Life.' I'd like to request that the up and coming musician Ryan Keller join me on stage for this one.

Ryan groaned. He had a feeling that his mother was doing this to try and help him impress Marie. The blond girl simply laughed and gave him a slight push out of the chair. He stood up and walked to the stage. He hopped up onto it and grabbed a microphone.

"What's up Tree Hill?" he yelled loudly. The crowd cheered. "Hey, before we start this song, give it up for the coolest mom ever." This got a lot of laughs and cheers.

Jamie turned and nodded to the house band.

How can you see into my eyes like open doors 

_Leading you down into my core_

_Where I've become so numb without a soul my spirit sleeping somewhere cold_

_Until you find it there and lead it back home_

_(Wake me up)_

_Wake me up inside_

_(I can't wake up)_

_Wake me up inside_

_(Save me)_

_call my name and save me from the dark_

_(Wake me up)_

_bid my blood to run_

_(I can't wake up)_

_before I come undone_

_(Save me)_

_save me from the nothing I've become_

_Now that I know what I'm without_

_You can't just leave me_

_Breath into me and make me real_

_Bring me to life_

_(Wake me up)_

_Wake me up inside_

_(I can't wake up)_

_Wake me up inside_

_(Save me)_

_call my name and save me from the dark_

_(Wake me up)_

_bid my blood to run_

_(I can't wake up)_

_before I come undone_

_(Save me)_

_save me from the nothing I've become_

_Bring me to life_

_(I've been living a lie, there's nothing inside)_

_Bring me to life_

_Frozen inside without your touch without your love darling. Only you are the life among the dead_

_(All this time I can't believe I couldn't see_

_Kept in the dark but you were there in front of me)_

_I've been sleeping a thousand years it seems_

_Got to open my eyes to everything_

_(Without a thought without a voice without a soul)_

_don't let me die here_

_(there must be something more)_

_Bring me to life_

_(Wake me up)_

_Wake me up inside_

_(I can't wake up)_

_Wake me up inside_

_(Save me)_

_call my name and save me from the dark_

_(Wake me up)_

_bid my blood to run_

_(I can't wake up)_

_before I come undone_

_(Save me)_

_save me from the nothing I've become_

_Bring me to life_

_(I've been living a lie, there's nothing inside)_

_Bring me to life_

The crowd cheered and clapped as they finished.

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Peyton Jagelski looked up as her seventeen-year-old daughter walked through the door. "About time. It's after one. You know you're supposed to call if you're staying out late."

"I forgot my cell phone."

Peyton rolled her eyes. "I know. I called it looking for you. I also called April Scott's cell phone and she gave me some excuse about how you were around but she didn't see you at the time. What were you doing?"

Marie shrugged. "I went to that club you used to work at."

"Alone? And don't bother lying because you aren't very good at it."

"Okay. Jeez. I went with one of April's cousins. His mom is a famous musician and she was playing.

Peyton tensed up. "Oh. Do you mean Haley?"

"Who? His mom's name is Jamie." She then noticed the weird look on Peyton's face. "Mom? Are you okay?"

"Yeah…I-I'm fine."

Marie nodded, not believing her mother for a second. "Well he's a really cool guy and… I don't know. I kind of like him."

Peyton raised her eyebrows. "Hmm. Well you know, you're new here and you should get to know him a lot better before you date him."

"Whoa, slow down for a minute. Nothing happened. And even if it did why would there be anything wrong with it? Like I said, he's a really nice guy."

Chalking it up to her mother being overprotective, Marie went upstairs and went to bed. A few minutes later Jake walked down the stairs.

"Babe, why are you still up?"

"Sorry. I know you wanted to catch her sneaking into her room but I figured I'd be here when she walked in the door."

Jake walked up behind his wife and put his arms around her. "I guess I've been a cop for too long. So where was she."

Peyton sighed and leaned into her husband's embrace. "Hanging out with a boy."

"Well find out his name and I'll make him disappear," he replied jokingly. When Peyton sighed in frustration he kissed her cheek. "What's wrong? Is this guy a creep or something?"

"No. According to Marie he's a 'really nice guy.' It's just…"

"What is it?"

"He's Jamie's kid."

Jake turned Peyton around so she was facing him. "Peyton you knew there was a chance you'd run into her once we moved back here. Especially considering that your two closest friends here are both married to her brothers."

"I know that. It's just that it will be weird seeing her after all these years."

Jake smiled and cupped her face gently. "You're not gonna hook back up with her are you? 'Cause that would be hot." All his remark earned him was a slap on the arm. "Peyton it was just a joke. I know you would never do that."

Peyton sighed and hugged her husband. "I'm sorry. It's just… the idea of our daughter dating her son bugs me a little. What if they got serious and then suddenly Jamie and I were forced back into each other's lives? I never told Marie about dating her."

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Annabelle quietly slipped out of her bedroom door. She knew that sneaking out this late was really stupid but she owed the dealer money. She owed him $100 but her parents had cut off her money. She tucked the $75 she had found into her pocket and prayed it would be enough.

"Why did I get so involved in this shit?" she muttered under her breath.

Having snuck out numerous times before, Anna managed to get outside to her bike with relative ease. Once she was a block away from her house she pulled out her cell phone.

"Hey. Meet me at the spot."

When she turned her bike into the alley she felt a shiver creep down her spine, despite it being a warm summer night. She saw the dealer standing against a wall.

"Got my money?"

"Well… I've got most of it. I got busted for smoking and my parents cut off my money supply."

The man stood straight and glared down at the young brunette. "I said bring all of it you stupid bitch."

Anna backed up a little. "Look, I can get the rest of it to you by tomorrow night. I wasn't able to sell any of it 'cause the cops caught me."

"I don't fucking care!" the man growled, grabbing Anna by the shoulders.

"Let go of me!"

"Shut up!" he hissed, slamming her into the wall. "I'm gonna collect my payment, one way or another."

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A/N: Well there it is. Of course, my stories are never complete without drama and tragedy. Let me know what you all think of it. Reviews equal inspiration so the more reviews I get the faster I'll be able to write the next chapter.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Okay, this is kind of confusing. I wrote the first chapter, then I rewrote it, changing Jamie from a cop to a professional musician. I didn't realize it until I went to post this chapter, but I accidentally posted the first version of chapter one. I have now reposted chapter one so it might be a good idea to reread it.

A/N 2: Italics are thoughts.

Disclaimer: I don't own One Tree Hill. I do own the plot and my original characters though.

Chapter 2

Jamie sat up and looked around. "Damn it. I fell asleep on the couch again." The cause of her awakening, the doorbell, rang once more. Straightening her t-shirt, she stood up and walked towards the door. "I'm gonna kill Ryan for not waking me up."

The person she found ringing her doorbell at four-thirty in the morning was the last one she expected. The first things she noticed as she took in the sight of her fifteen-year-old niece were the large bruise on the girl's face, and the way Anna was trembling.

"Anna, are you okay?"

Anna shook her head and broke down into sobs as her aunt pulled her into a hug. After ten minutes of crying she managed to pull back and speak.

"I-I-I was… Th-this guy… He gave me the pot. H-he wanted the rest of the money I owed him but my parents took it all away and… I… he… The man grabbed me and… he raped me."

Jamie hugged her niece again. The young brunettes sobs made her whole body shake.

"Ryan!" Jamie yelled. When her son appeared at the bottom of the stairs she pulled Anna the rest of the way inside. "Get dressed and pull my car around."

"What's going on?"

"Ryan please just do it. I'll explain everything later."

Ryan noticed the worried tone in his mother's voice and immediately complied with her request. Once he disappeared upstairs, Anna sat down on the couch and pulled her knees up to her chest. "Please don't make me go to the hospital. I don't want anyone to find out. Especially my parents."

Jamie sat down and put an arm around the traumatized girl. "Anna, sweetie, it's okay. We have to go to the hospital to get you checked out. Just hang in there."

"Can't you just take me home?"

"Absolutely not. We need to go the hospital. If we don't the police will never be able to catch the man who did this. I know it must be hard, but you have to trust me." Then, as Ryan's footsteps sounded on the stairs, Jamie stood up. "Wait here for just a minute. I'm going to call your parents and tell them to meet us at the hospital."

Grabbing her son's arm, she pulled him into the kitchen. Ryan grabbed his mother's keys off the hook by the door leading to the garage. "Mom, what happened?"

Jamie covered her face with her hands and let out a slow deep breath. "Anna needs to go to the hospital. She's been… She's been raped."

Ryan didn't say anything. He simply nodded and walked into the garage. Jamie picked up the phone and slowly dialed her younger brother's number. She didn't know how she was going to tell him what had happened.

"Hello?"

"Haley, it's Jamie."

Her sister-in-law sounded drowsy. "Jamie? What are you calling this early for? Is everything okay?"

Biting her lip, Jamie decided not to explain everything on the phone. "No. It's Annabelle. Just wake up Nathan and meet us at the hospital."

All signs of sleepiness suddenly left Haley's voice. "WHAT? What's wrong? Why is she at your house? Did something happen to her?"

"Haley calm down. I don't want to explain it over the phone. She's not in any immediate danger okay? Just go to the hospital."

She then hung the phone up before Haley could question her again. _I know I should have just told her everything but I don't know how. How do you tell someone their little girl was violated in the worst way possible?_

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The moment Haley walked into the hospital room, Annabelle ran into her arms. After a while Haley held her daughter at arms length and questioned her. "Anna what happened?"

Anna looked at Jamie with fear in her eyes. The tall blond sent her niece as much of a smile as she could manage. "Sit down Anna. I'll explain it to them." She then took Nathan and Haley into the hall. "Oh god… You two might want to sit down for this." When they remained standing, Jamie sighed and ran a hand through her hair. "I don't know any easy way to say it so… Annabelle was raped."

Haley let out a cry and buried her face in Nathan's chest. "Oh god!"

"Nathan?" a voice called from behind them. Turning around, Nathan's eyebrows raised.

"Jake Jagelski? What are you doing here?"

Jake frowned. "Unfortunately, I'm investigating the attack on your daughter." He held up his badge to show them that he was a detective. "The results of the rape kit are in and it appears that your daughter's attacker left his DNA. Hopefully we'll be able to catch him."

Haley wiped away the tears that were falling down her face. "So now what do we do?"

Jake scratched his head. "Well for starters she should learn not to sneak out at night. She's…"

Before he could finish his sentence, Nathan shoved him against the wall and yelled into his face, "What are you trying to say? Huh?"

"Nathan!" Jamie yelled, trying to pull her brother off. Jake however, quickly broke free of Nathan's hold and gave him a hard shove backwards. Nathan clenched his fists but Jamie got in front of him. "Nathan, go outside and take a walk. Do not come back in here until you've had a chance to clear your head." Once her brother was on his way out of the hospital she turned to her sister-in-law. "Haley, go back and sit with Anna. You're probably the person she needs the most right now."

Jake watched the distraught mother walk away and sighed. "I didn't mean it like that."

"Yeah well you should have thought about how that would sound before you said it."

"I had more to say but Nathan charged me."

Jamie nodded and put her hands on her hips. "Well I don't blame him. You basically implied that the rape was Annabelle's fault."

"That's not what I mean. And you're in no position to be pointing fingers."

"What are you talking about?"

"Wasn't it you who told the chief that it would be best for that girl if the possession charges were dropped?"

Jamie took a step forward. "Are you saying that this is my fault?"

Jake met her gaze. "No. I'm saying that if that girl hadn't snuck out last night she wouldn't have been raped."

Jamie stepped forward again, this time invading Jake's personal space. "Imply that it was Anna's fault she got raped again, and it won't be Nathan attacking you. That girl is a victim. Her life is never gonna be the same again."

"Back the hell off." Jake said sternly.

Jamie stepped back and began walking toward Annabelle's hospital room. "Sorry. I guess I'm a little stressed out. You may be right in thinking that this never would have happened if Anna hadn't snuck out of her house, but that doesn't change the fact that she is a victim and this wasn't her fault."

"I guess that her attitude when I arrested her bothered me a little. The girl didn't think there was anything wrong with what she was doing." He stopped when he saw the look on Jamie's face. "What?"

"Anna said that the man who raped her is the one she got the marijuana from. She said that she owed him money but didn't have enough.

Jake nodded. "Thanks. I'm gonna head back to the station and see if I can catch this guy.

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Braden was almost at the hospital entrance when he noticed his father sitting on the curb. He walked over and sat down. "Is she okay?"

Nathan sighed and put a hand on his son's shoulder. "Physically she's fine. Emotionally…"

"Do the police know who did this to her?"

"No. I guess they're trying. I've been out here for a while now."

Braden stood up and offered his father a hand up. The two of them walked to Annabelle's room. When Annabelle saw her brother she sat up and looked at her mother.

"You told him? I said I don't want anyone to know."

"Anna, it's okay. I'm here for you. You don't have to hide it from me."

Annabelle shook her head and covered her face to hide her tears. "Can everyone please get out? I want to be alone."

Everyone silently filed out and Haley shut the door. Turning to the others she said, "We just need to give her some time."

Jamie shook her head. "She's closing up. She feels dirty and ashamed. This whole thing has really messed her up."

Braden looked at the three adults in disbelief. "Well, what are we gonna do? We can't just leave her alone."

Jamie bit her bottom lip. Haley noticed and stepped in front of her. "What? You only bite your lip when you're thinking about something."

"Well… I don't know if it would work."

"What is it?" Nathan asked, putting an arm around his wife. "If there's any way we can help Anna…"

Jamie crossed her arms and looked at the floor. "If Jake is back in town then that means Peyton must be too. I know it's been a long time but she's been attacked in a similar way. She can understand what Anna is going through."

Haley and Nathan nodded. Braden looked back and forth between them. "What's going on? Why are you all so hesitant to ask her to help Anna? I thought you were friends with her Mom."

"I am. I'm not worried about asking her it's just…"

Jamie sighed and shook her head. "It's not your mother Braden, it's me. Peyton and I didn't exactly part on the best of terms."

Braden shrugged. "Whatever. If you don't want to do it, one of us can go to her. We need to get Anna some help."

"No, it's okay." Jamie said, pulling her car keys out of her pocket. "I'll go ask her."

Haley gave her sister-in-law a hug and said, "Thank you. I don't know if I could explain it to her."

Jamie nodded and walked away. Braden turned back to his parents. "What's the deal with her and your friend Peyton?"

"It's nothing Braden." Nathan said, putting his arm around Haley once more.

"Come on Dad, don't lie to me. You know you're not very good at it."

Haley rolled her eyes. "Nathan it's not like it's a big secret. Braden, a long time ago your aunt Jamie and Peyton were involved with each other. It didn't end very well and they haven't spoken since."

Braden's eyes widened. "You mean Aunt Jamie is a…"

Haley gave her son a confused look. "You didn't know? How did you not know?"

The dark haired teen shrugged. "We've only lived here for two years and I've never seen her date anyone."

"You're not gonna make a big deal about this are you?" Nathan asked. "I didn't raise my son to be a homophobe."

Braden held up his hands. "Hey, it's cool. I was just a little surprised. I'm gonna go. Anna doesn't want to see me so there's no point in hanging around."

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Marie opened the door and gazed at the woman standing on her porch. "Hi. Can I…" She stopped when she recognized the tall blond. "You're Jamie Bradshaw aren't you? Ryan's mom? I saw you perform last night."

Jamie smiled and nodded. "Is your mom home?"

"Um, yeah. Come on in." Marie led Jamie into the kitchen and out the back door. While they were walking, she questioned the blond musician. "So you know my mom?"

"Yeah. I guess you could say I'm uh, an old friend of hers."

They exited the house and walked onto the patio. Marie saw her mom typing at her laptop. "Hey Mom, there's someone here to see you."

Peyton looked up and her jaw dropped. "Jamie? What are you doing here?" She stood up and gave Jamie a hug.

Marie went inside and the two women sat down. "How long have you been in town?"

"About a week."

Jamie nodded. "Listen, as much as I'd like to say I'm just here to visit, I'm not."

Peyton closed her laptop. "What's going on?"

"Nathan's daughter Annabelle… she was raped."

"Oh my god! Is she okay?"

Jamie shook her head. "She's closing up, refusing to talk to people."

"Does Jake know? He's a detective."

"Yeah. He's investigating. That's not why I'm here. I was hoping you would talk to Anna."

"Why me?"

"Well… You're the only person I can think of who understands some of what she's going through."

Peyton looked into her ex-girlfriend's eyes. "Are you sure about that?"

Jamie quickly looked down. "Peyton…"

"Jamie, it might help her."

"I can't."

Peyton reached across the table and took hold of Jamie's hand. "It's okay. I'll talk to her."

Jamie gave the curly blond a small smile. "Thanks. I should probably go. I'll call you when they bring Annabelle home from the hospital." She then gave Peyton's hand a squeeze and let go. When she got outside to her car she let out a slow, deep breath.

_Damn it. I've been here barely ten minutes and I'm already on the verge of tears. I need to calm down. I can't go back to the hospital like this._ As she drove toward her house she thought about the feelings that had coursed through her body when Peyton grabbed her hand. At home she changed from her t-shirt into a tank top and went out into the garage. She stretched her heavily tattooed arm up to a shelf and grabbed her motorcycle helmet.

As she sped away from the house she felt a familiar rush of adrenaline. She immediately rode to the beach and turned onto the road that ran along it for miles. The entire time she was trying and failing to keep Peyton's words out of her mind. _I can't tell Anna about what happened to me. It might help but… Damn it Peyton! Why do you have to know me so well? We haven't spoken to each other in seventeen years but you can still get to me. _

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Brooke and Lucas walked into Nathan and Haley's house, followed by Sean, David, Braden, April, Karen, and Ryan. They all sat around until the front door finally opened and Nathan, Haley, and Annabelle walked in.

The moment Annabelle saw everyone waiting on them she let out an angry growl and ran upstairs. A few seconds later they all heard a door slam.

Brooke looked around and everyone and sighed. "I guess having everyone here was a bad idea. We should probably go."

Nathan nodded and walked into the kitchen. A couple minutes later, Lucas walked in and got two beers out of the fridge. Nathan popped the cap and chugged a few gulps down. "Thanks."

"No problem."

"Peyton called. She's going to be here in about an hour."

"Good."

Lucas sipped his own beer. He jokingly said, "Don't tell Brooke I'm drinking. She still freaks out every time I go near alcohol." When Nathan didn't respond he set his beer down and leaned against the counter. "You okay?"

Nathan yelled and threw his bottle of beer into the sink, shattering it. "No I'm not fucking okay! My little girl was raped. What am I supposed to do? This isn't exactly mentioned in any of the parenting books I've read."

"She'll talk eventually. She just needs to have someone who's been where she's at talk to her."

Nathan nodded. "I'm glad Jamie convinced Peyton to come over. And where is she anyway? It's been three hours since she left the hospital."

Lucas shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe it all got to be too much for her."

"I can understand that. I'm gonna go for a run to clear my head. You want to come?"

"I don't think we should leave Haley here alone with Anna."

"I'll stay," a voice said from the doorway. The two men turned around and saw Jamie standing there. "You guys go ahead."

Nathan walked over and gave his sister a hug. "Thank you."

The two brothers left via the back door and Jamie walked back into the living room. She found Haley sitting, staring into space. She didn't look up when Jamie approached.

"Haley? Is it okay if I try to talk to her?"

"What?" Haley asked, looking up. "Did you say something?"

Jamie put a comforting hand on her sister-in-law's back. "I asked if it would be okay if I tried to talk to Anna."

"Sure. Can you tell her that Peyton will be here soon? I told her she was coming over."

"Yeah. Are you gonna be okay by yourself? Nate and Luke went for a run. Nathan needed to clear his head."

Haley nodded. "I'll be fine. I think I'll call Brooke and have her come back over. She can't be too far away yet."

Jamie went upstairs and knocked on the last door on the right. When she didn't get a response she knocked again and asked, "Anna? Can I come in?"

A quiet voice said, "Yeah."

Inside, the tall blond found her niece sitting on her bed, her head resting on her knees. "Everyone except your mother is gone."

"Good. I don't want to talk to them. They don't have a clue about what I'm going through." Looking up at Jamie she added, "You don't either so there's no real point in talking to you."

Jamie shook her head and pulled the computer chair up beside the bed. "That's not exactly true."

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A/N: Let me know what you thought. I'll try to have more of the kids in the next chapter.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Thanks for all of the reviews. They are greatly appreciated.

Disclaimer: I don't own One Tree Hill.

Chapter 3 

Annabelle looked at her aunt and narrowed her eyes. "What do you mean?"

Jamie sighed and closed her eyes. "I understand what you're going through because I've gone through it myself."

"What? Nobody ever told me about that."

"That's because I never told anyone. Nobody in this family knows. Trust me when I tell you that bottling it all up and not talking about it won't help. And the longer you wait, the harder it gets to open up."

Anna put her arms around her knees. "Will you tell me about it? I can see that it's hard for you to talk about it but I think it will help me."

Jamie looked up and Anna saw tears in her aunt's eyes. Sighing again, Jamie nodded. "Okay. But you have to promise me one thing. Don't freak out when you hear some of the things that happened in my past. There's a lot that I haven't talked about in a long time."

Anna nodded. "Okay."

"When I was a couple years older than you, I was in a car accident that killed my adoptive father. It was my fault and I was sent to prison for six months."

Anna gasped. "Oh my god. You killed your father?"

Jamie wiped away a few tears that had fallen. "Yes. There's a reason I never talk about my past. Anyways, when I got there, I was in a bad emotional state and some of the other inmates saw me as an easy target to push around. One day, when I was alone in my cell, two inmates and a really cruel prison guard ran in and held me down." She stopped and tried to calm herself down. "They… the three of them took turns raping me. It went on for about an hour, then they beat me and told me that if I ever told anyone about what had happened, they would kill me."

Anna was speechless. Eventually she managed to speak. "That's awful. I'm sorry you had to go through that."

"It's okay. It was a really long time ago. I just wanted you to understand that you can talk to me about what happened. I know that talking to everyone else probably feels kind of pointless. They don't understand what it's like."

Anna nodded, tears rolling down her cheeks. "I'll talk about it. Just not right now. I'm still trying to process everything that's happened."

"Can we talk about something else? About you doing drugs?"

"What do you want me to say? I know it was stupid. I got raped because of it."

Jamie sat down on the bed held her left arm out and pointed at the tattoo just below her shoulder. "See this tattoo? It's the Chinese symbol for pain. I had it done while I was in prison. It was my way of admitting that I was in pain but couldn't talk about it to anyone. Getting it was stupid. I'm lucky I didn't get hepatitis or something worse from the needle."

Anna looked at her aunt with a confused expression. "What's the point?"

"The point is, a fifteen-year-old girl shouldn't be getting mixed up in things like that. I know you have your reasons but you don't have to deal with it alone."

"Alright, I get it. I can talk to you. Now will you please leave me alone? And tell your friend Peyton that I don't want to see her."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. I think I'm gonna go to sleep."

Jamie stood up and put the chair back by the computer. "I'll tell her. Thank you for listening to me. If you ever feel like talking, you can call me."

Anna nodded and lay back on her bed. "I will."

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Marie nervously rang the doorbell. When Ryan opened the door she smiled. "Hi."

"Hey. What's up?"

"I um… Do you wanna hang out at the beach today?"

Ryan grinned and stepped aside to let her in. "Sure. Come on in. My bike's in the garage."

Marie followed him and gazed around. "I like your house."

"Thanks. You want something to eat or drink before we go?"

"Nah, I good."

The two teens got on Ryan's motorcycle and headed for the beach. They walked across the sand for a while, talking about school and the end of summer. They were headed back toward the place where they parked to find a spot for the blanket Marie had brought along when the blond girl slipped her hand into Ryan's.

Ryan didn't say anything, but he looked at her and smiled. They eventually found a spot and sat down. Ryan pulled his shirt off, leaving him in a pair of shorts, while the blonde girl pulled her shirt off to reveal a bikini top. Marie pulled a bottle of suntan lotion out of her bag and began applying it to her arms and legs. When she was done she tossed the bottle to Ryan and asked, "Will you do my back?"

As he gently rubbed his hands on the girl's back he smiled. When he was done he decided to try a little flirtation. "Alright. You are now officially sun-proof."

"Thanks." Marie said, turning back around.

"No problem." He grinned and handed her the bottle. "Now it's my turn."

The blond smiled as Ryan turned his back to her and flipped his long hair out of the way. _Two can play at this game_, she thought as she squirted lotion onto his back. As she rubbed in the lotion she also massaged his back and shoulders. Then, almost without thinking, she leaned forward and whispered in his ear.

"How's that?"

Ryan felt his breath catch in his throat. "Um… Good." Turning he pressed his lips against hers. When she didn't do anything he pulled away. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that."

"It's okay. You just caught me by surprise." She then leaned in and kissed him.

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April, Sean, and David were at the rivercourt shooting hoops. The guys laughed as they watched April throw the ball granny style. Sean caught the ball and made a lay-up. David and April cheered.

"Damn bro. Maybe you should reconsider trying out for the team. You've improved a lot over the summer."

Sean shrugged and tossed the ball to his brother. "I don't know. I'm nowhere near as good as you and Braden.

"Who cares?" April asked as David made a three pointer. "You could still make the team."

"I'd rather not play at all than have to be the one who isn't as good as his brother."

April rolled her eyes and caught the ball. "That sounds like an excuse to me."

Sean laughed as she shot the ball over the hoop. "I don't know April," he said mockingly. "Maybe you should try out for the team."

"Shut up."

David ran and got the ball and made a jump shot from other side of the hoop. It didn't go in but Sean high-fived his brother anyway. "That was pretty close."

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Jamie stared out at the water and took a drag off of a cigarette. She slowly blew the mentholated smoke out and sighed. _This is just a testament to how screwed up I am. The only thing I can find to make myself calm down and feel relaxed is a paper tube filled with poison. _

"Those things will kill you someday," said a familiar voice.

Turning around, Jamie was surprised to find Peyton standing there, smiling at her. She took another drag before responding. "Not fast enough though."

Peyton leaned against the railing Jamie was sitting on. "You don't really think that do you?"

"No. I could never do that to Ryan. He's already lost two parents."

"So do you want to tell me why you're sitting here alone, looking all sad?"

Jamie shrugged and took one last drag off the cigarette before throwing the butt into the water. "I guess I'm out here because I realized that after all these years, I'm still running from my past."

Peyton pulled herself up so she was sitting on the rail, her back to the ocean. "You told Annabelle didn't you?"

"You know me too well." Jamie said with a slight laugh.

"Do you think it helped her?"

"I don't know. She seemed glad to have someone to talk to but she didn't actually want to discuss what happened."

"Don't worry. She'll open up eventually. I think it will help her a lot once they catch the guy who did it."

Jamie nodded. "So what brings you out here?"

Peyton sighed. "Jake and I had a fight and I decided to take a walk. I wanted to have a chance to calm down before talking to him again."

"That's quite a long walk. Your house is clear on the other side of town."

"Actually I drove to our beach house and walked along the beach. I saw you sitting here on the pier so I came up to talk."

Jamie smiled and swung her legs around and dropped to the ground. "Thanks."

Peyton dropped down as well and pointed out over the beach. "It's only about a quarter of a mile that way. You want to go and talk? It would be a nice chance for us to catch up."

"Okay."

The two of them walked to the beach house in silence. When they got there they went inside and walked into the main room. Peyton poured them drinks and they sat down. "So what's been going on with you lately? Are you finished touring for good?"

"No. I just wanted Ryan to be able to go to the same high school for all four years and be close to the family. It's nice for me because I've been able to do a lot of songwriting. It's kind of hard to do that when you're living in hotel rooms and tour buses."

"It's good that you're doing something you love. I still draw constantly. I just sold the art studio I owned in LA, and I've been thinking about purchasing a club or something like that. I really want to get more involved with music."

"That's great. My mom has been thinking about selling Tric. Maybe you could buy it from her."

"Hmm. I'll definitely have to think about that."

Jamie stood up and refilled their glasses. "So what's Jenny up to? She's already graduated right?"

Peyton nodded and took the glass Jamie was holding out. "She's going to UCLA. She was a little upset about the move but she understands why."

Three hours and a lot of drinks later, Peyton was standing in front of the couch where Jamie was sitting, acting out something funny that had happened at an art show a few years ago. Suddenly she lost her footing and fell forward. She landed on top of Jamie, their faces only inches apart. Peyton closed the gap and kissed Jamie passionately. Jamie returned the kiss and moved herself so that Peyton was laying on top of her. One of her hands got lost in the mess of curly hair as Peyton's tongue began an exploration of her mouth.

They continued making out until a shocked and hurt voice cried out, "Mom?"

The two women broke apart and looked up to see Marie and Ryan standing in the doorway. They quickly sat up and scooted apart. Peyton tried to stand up but once again tripped. Marie took off running, ignoring her mother's calls.

Jamie looked at her son. "Go after her. Make sure she gets home okay?"

Once her son had taken off running after the blond teen, Jamie turned her attention back to Peyton. The curly blonde was crying silently. Sliding down to the floor, she gently touched Peyton's shoulder.

"Don't." Peyton said, jerking away.

"Just let me help you to the bedroom. Neither of us are gonna be driving anywhere."

"Okay."

Once Peyton was in bed, Jamie slowly walked outside. _Damn it! That was so fucking stupid! I guess I just ruined any chance we had of having a decent friendship._ Pulling out a cigarette, she lit it and took a long slow drag. She then stepped off the porch onto the sand and sat down. "What have I done?"

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"Marie wait!" Ryan yelled as he tried to catch up to the fleeing blond. She was almost back to their spot by the fire when she stopped running and dropped to the ground.

"Just leave me alone."

Ryan came to a stop, breathing heavily. "I can't." He sat down next to her and fell onto his back. "I can't leave you here alone. It's dark and I don't want anything to happen to you."

"Look Ryan, I know you're trying to be a nice guy but I'd rather be alone."

"What are you gonna do? Walk home? It'd probably be midnight before you managed to find your way. At least let me take you home."

"Why won't you just give up and leave?"

Ryan sat up and faced the distraught girl. "I know you're a little freaked out but…"

"Freaked out?" Marie asked in an exasperated voice. "I just walked in on my mother making out with another woman! And that woman just happens to be your mother. I'd say freaked out is a bit of an understatement."

"Well… they were obviously drunk. It was probably just a stupid mistake."

"Wait, you're not surprised that your mom was kissing a woman?"

The long haired boy shook his head, his breathing finally slowing down to normal. "No. I'm shocked that she was kissing a married woman though. Trust me, that isn't like her. I'm sure that it just happened."

Marie stood up and started walking back towards the parking lot. "Will you take me home?" Ryan nodded and they walked to his motorcycle. When they pulled up in front of her house, Marie quickly pulled off the helmet and handed it to Ryan. "I guess I'll see you."

"Do you want a ride to school tomorrow?"

"I don't think it's a good idea for us to see each other."

Ryan's face twisted into a hurt expression. "But I thought we really connected. It hasn't even been a day and you're already breaking up with me?"

"I'm sorry."

"Why?"

Marie let out a sob. "I think you know why." With that she turned and quickly walked inside.

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Jamie slowly opened her eyes and felt pain slam into her head like a freight train. Once her vision finally cleared she rolled onto her side. _Oh, big mistake._ She jumped out of bed and ran for the bathroom. After a few minutes of vomiting she sat back against the wall and wiped her mouth with toilet paper.

"What the hell happened last night?" she mumbled, thinking aloud. Then the memories of the previous night came rushing back. "Oh god. Wait… how did I get home?"

"I brought you home Boozie."

Looking up, Jamie saw the form of her little sister standing in the doorway. "April? What the hell? You brought me home?"

"Yeah. Ryan called me. He said you were out at the beach, drunk, and you needed a ride home. When I got there you were laying in the sand, half-asleep."

Jamie smiled and leaned her head against the wall behind her. "Thanks. Is Ryan still here?"

April walked forward and sat down next to her sister. "No. He wouldn't tell me why, but he seemed really mad about something."

"Great. I'm such an idiot."

"What happened?"

Jamie looked down at her sister. "Do you really want to know?"

"I guess." April responded, curiosity quickly getting the best of her.

"You know Marie Jagelski right?" April nodded. "Well, she and Ryan walked in on me and her mother making out."

The shorter girl let out a laugh. "I'm guessing you were both drunk."

"Yeah but that doesn't make it okay. Peyton is married and I had no right to do what I did."

April shrugged. "Last time I checked, it takes two people to make out. She's just as guilty as you."

Jamie shook her head. "I should have known better than to put myself in that situation."

"I'm sure things will be okay. Ryan can't stay mad at you for long."

Letting out a sigh, Jamie pulled her knees up and rested her chin on them. "Thanks for bringing me home."

April smiled. "It's no problem. Are you sure you'll be okay by yourself?"

Jamie laughed. "Aren't we doing this backwards? Shouldn't I be the one helping you? After all, I'm supposed to be an adult." They both laughed, April doubling over when Jamie stopped and held her pounding head.

"I better get going before I'm late to school."

"Okay. See you later. I think I'm gonna hang out by the toilet for a while."

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Jake let out a sigh as he tossed a folder onto his desk. Another detective noticed his frustration and questioned him. "Rough night?"

"You could say that."

"Yeah well you're gonna love this. You know that girl you arrested the other day? The basketball player's kid?" Jake nodded. "Well, one of our patrols caught her and two other girls smoking pot in an alley early this morning."

Jake pinched the bridge of his nose. "God that girl is so stupid. She gets raped by her dealer and then goes out and gets high?"

"You got something to say Jagelski?"

Turning around, Jake saw Nathan standing there with his wife and daughter. "Just walk away Nathan. Assault me like you did at the hospital and I'll toss you in a jail cell."

Nathan glared at the detective but instead of indulging his desire to throw a punch, turned and walked out the door.

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Later that day, after school, Braden walked into his room and threw his bag down. "Damn it!" he yelled, kicking his hamper, spilling his dirty clothes across the floor. His anger was only increased when his sister appeared in the doorway.

"Bad day?"

Whirling around, the angry teen walked forward and grabbed hold of his bedroom door. "Look Anna, I know you're going through a really rough time, but I don't feel like talking to you right now. I heard all about you getting caught smoking again." Without waiting for a response he slammed the door shut.

A few minutes later his father opened the door and walked in. "Braden, I know you're angry at your sister but you are not to talk to her like that. She's going through something we can't understand and she's trying to find a way to cope with it."

Braden stood up and grabbed his basketball. "Whatever. I'm going to the rivercourt. I probably won't be back in time for dinner."

When he got to the rivercourt, he was glad to see David already there. The younger Scott caught the ball Braden threw at him and tossed it into the hoop. "Some way to start off the school year huh?"

"I don't know what to do. I want to be pissed off at Anna but I know she's just not handling things very well."

David sighed and tossed the ball to his cousin. "I don't know man. She's in a lot of pain and there's not much anyone can do to help her."

Braden nodded. "I think that's what makes me so angry. Ever since she was little I've been the one who looks out for her, but now I can't."

"You just need some time to chill out. Play some ball here with me, then go apologize to your girlfriend for snapping at her at school, then go home and tell your sister how you feel."

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Shortly after sunset, Ryan walked into his house and stormed up to his room. He felt his anger increase when he found his mother waiting for him.

"I don't want to talk to you Mom."

"I guess I can't blame you. I'm really sorry you had to see that last night."

Ryan tossed his bag onto the floor and rolled his eyes. "Yeah well, tell that Marie. Thanks to you I now have no chance with her. What the hell were you doing?"

Jamie stood up. "We were both drunk and it just happened."

"Oh come one Mom! Since when do you go around hooking up with women you hardly know?"

"I… That's not what happened. I know Marie's mother a lot better than you think."

Ryan sat down on his bed and looked up at his mother. "What the hell are you talking about?"

Jamie sighed and looked at the floor. "Peyton and I dated a long time ago, before you were born.

Ryan shook his head. "Come on, you've got to be kidding me."

"I wish I was."

"But… That doesn't make what you did okay!"

Jamie finally met her son's gaze. "I know that Ryan. Do you honestly think I feel good about what happened? I feel horrible."

"Whatever. Just leave me alone."

"Ryan, will please just listen to me?"

"No." With one last glare at his mother, the angry teen threw some clothes into a duffel bag and stormed out of the house.

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April set down her Calculus homework when her cell phone rang. "Hello?"

"Hey."

"I was wondering when you were gonna call. How's Florida treating you?"

"Well I had to leave my best friend right before our senior year so… it's so-so."

"Lauren!"

"Sorry. I'm just in a good mood because of all the hot guys here. I swear, all I have to do is show a little cleavage and I'm being waited on hand and foot."

"Okay, well I better go. I've got a ton of homework, even though it's the first day."

"Alright. Get online tomorrow and we can chat."

"Okay. Try not to get too sunburnt."

April hung up the phone and lay back on her bed. _Ugh. This sucks. My best friend isn't here for my last year of high school._

"April?" Karen called from downstairs. "Dinner's ready."

When she entered the kitchen she was surprised to see Ryan sitting at the table. "Hey. What are you doing here?"

"My mom and I had a fight and Grams said I could crash here."

April smiled a little. After all these years it was still weird to hear her mother called grandma or, as Ryan typically called her, grams. "Cool. Maybe you can help me understand the evil creation known as Calculus."

After dinner the teens disappeared upstairs to do their homework. Karen put the dirty dishes in the dishwasher and picked up the phone.

"Hello?"

"Jamie, I wanted to tell you that Ryan is staying here tonight."

She heard her daughter sigh with relief. "Good. I was getting worried. I guess he probably told you about our fight."

"He didn't give me any details but he seemed pretty upset. Do you want to talk about it?"

"Not really. I'm just glad he's safe. Thanks for letting him stay over there."

"Don't worry about it."

"Okay. I'm gonna get off here. I've got some stuff to do before I go to bed."

"Alright. Goodnight."

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Nathan and Haley walked into Anna's bedroom. The young brunette looked up and scowled. "Can't you knock?"

"The door was open." Nathan replied, sitting down next to his daughter. "Your mother and I want to talk to you about your smoking."

Haley nodded. "Sweetie, we understand that you're in a lot of pain and that getting high probably makes you feel better, but we want you to stop."

Anna looked away from her parents and quietly said, "The only time I'm able to stop thinking about it is when I'm high. I don't like having to relive it constantly."

"Anna, we want you to talk to someone." Nathan said, glancing up at his wife.

"You mean like a shrink?"

"We want you to have counseling or therapy. I know that sounds weird but it might help you."

Anna finally looked at her parents. "I've already talked to someone."

Haley sat down on the other side of her. "Who? You refused to talk to Peyton."

"I… I promised not to say."

"You can tell us." Nathan said.

Anna shook her head. "I'm sorry. This person doesn't want anyone to know. I understand what that's like. I could never do that to her."

Haley patted her daughter's back and stood up. "Okay. We wouldn't ask you to"

She and Nathan walked downstairs. Pulling his wife into a hug, Nathan let out a deep sigh. "Do you think she was telling the truth?"

"I do."

"But who could she have possible talked to?"

Haley rested her head on her husband's chest. "I have an idea."

Nathan pulled back so he could look into Haley's eyes. "You do? Who do you think it was?"

"I…I think it's best if we just leave it alone. If this person is helping Anna, that's all that matters."

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A/N: Let me know what you think. I plan to bring some of the kids' friends into the story soon.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Thanks to anyone who reviewed. Your continued support is what keeps me writing.

Disclaimer: Don't own it.

Chapter 4 

April picked up her tray and walked across the lunchroom. She sat down across from the table's only occupant.

Anna looked up and frowned. "You don't have to sit with me."

"I know I don't have to. I want to."

The shorter brunette looked skeptical. "Yeah right. Look, I don't want your sympathy."

April shrugged and took a bite of her hamburger. "It's not like that."

Anna looked up again and sent her cousin a scowl. "You really expect me to believe that? All of the people that called themselves my friends are avoiding me but you, someone I've never gotten along with, wants to eat lunch with me."

"Look, I know you don't like me, but we're family and I'm here for you. If your friends abandoned you when you needed them most, maybe you're better off without them."

"You seriously just want to hang out with me and talk? Nobody put you up to this?"

April nodded. "Of course. Maybe it's time we got to know each other better."

Anna still looked like she didn't believe her but she quit arguing. They ate in silence for a while, then Anna decided to risk opening up a little. "You're wrong."

"About what?"

"Me not liking you. I know we've never gotten along but it isn't because I don't like you."

"Then why did you always treat me like I was below you?"

Anna looked down, feeling ashamed of her behavior. "Because I wanted to be popular and the popular group didn't like you. I know how horrible that sounds but… it's the truth."

"Story of my life. Look, I know you want to be popular and all that, but if you have to change who you are then it's not worth it."

"Obviously. All of my 'friends' are too freaked out by what happened to me. I can see now that they only liked me for my money."

April laughed. "I guess you don't have too much of that now do you?"

"No." Anna replied, finally smiling. "My parents have pretty much cut me off. They're afraid that if I have more than twenty dollars on me I'll go buy more pot."

"Would you?"

"Honestly, yes. I know that it's a stupid habit but… it dulls the pain."

April took a drink of her pop. "How long have been doing it?"

"I don't know. Six months maybe."

"Not to sound insensitive but, what kind of pain were you in then?"

Anna looked down, her frown back. "I don't want to talk about it."

"Okay." April replied, not wanting to push too hard. "But if you ever need someone to talk to…"

"Thanks. For not pushing it."

"It's cool. I didn't expect you to start spilling all your secrets to me or anything like that."

They finished their lunch in a comfortable silence.

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Ryan dropped into a seat beside Sean.

"What's eating you?"

The long-haired teen slouched down and propped one foot up on the desk in front of him. "Nothing."

Sean rolled his eyes. "That's bullshit and you know it. What's going on?"

"I said nothing."

"Don't look now but I think 'nothing' just walked in the door." Ryan looked up and saw Marie take the seat closest to the door. "Why does she have you so pissed off?"

Ryan pulled out his notebook and flipped it open. "Dude, just drop it."

"Alright."

The teacher came in and began class. Ryan didn't pay much attention to what he was saying. Instead he was focused on the girl he was determined to get back. Leaning over a little, he whispered to his cousin, "Wait for me after school. I need to talk to you about something.

An hour later he shoved his books in his locker and walked outside. He found Sean leaning against his car. As he approached, the taller teen stood up. "What did you want to talk about?"

"I need your help. I need you to get Marie to talk to me."

"I'm gonna need a little more info than that."

Ryan shook his head and climbed onto his motorcycle. "I can't give you all the details. Can you just do it?"

Sean rolled his eyes and shrugged. "Okay. I think this all sounds like girly teenage drama though." This earned him a punch in the arm but he laughed anyway. "I'll see what I can do. I'll talk to you later."

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Peyton felt her smile falter as she walked into Tric. Jamie looked up met her gaze for a moment, then dropped her eyes. Walking forward, Peyton decided to simply say what was on her mind. "Can we talk?"

Jamie nodded. "Let's go outside." They walked out and sat on the steps. "So…"

"Yeah. I had this whole speech planned out but now…"

"Look, we were both drunk and it happened. We don't have to make a big deal about it."

Peyton shook her head. "It is a big deal, because my daughter caught us. She said that if I don't tell her father, she will. I'm afraid she's never going to forgive me for this."

"I know the feeling. Ryan isn't happy about it either. Apparently I ruined his chances of being with your daughter."

Letting out a laugh, Peyton rested her chin in her hands. "It's kind of ironic isn't it? Our children getting involved with each other," she said, looking over Jamie's outfit of a black Three Days Grace t-shirt, faded blue jeans with a hole in one knee, and black sneakers. She realized that she was staring and she looked away.

Jamie smiled and looked down at her feet. "I definitely didn't see that one coming. I just feel bad for doing that to him. I'm such an idiot."

Peyton started to touch Jamie's hand but the blond musician pulled away. "Jamie, it's okay."

"No it's not." She stood up and looked down at her ex-girlfriend. "What did you think was going to happen? Did you think we would become best friends or something?"

"Well I thought that maybe we could be friends. Would that be so horrible?"

Jamie shook her head and ran a hand across her face. "If you wanted to be friends, you shouldn't have kissed me. I spent a long time burying my feelings for you, and so far all you've done is bring them back to the surface."

"Jamie, we were both drunk. I know we made a mistake but why does that have to keep us from being friends?"

"Because I don't want to be just friends with you. I know I must be pathetic, not being able to move on after all these years, but I can't help how I feel." She turned around and walked back into Tric.

Peyton followed her and grabbed her arm. Jamie whirled around, fighting back tears. "Wait. You're not pathetic."

"Oh yeah? Then why haven't I been able to have a serious relationship since we broke up? Why does it become hard for me to breathe every time we're in the same room? It's been seventeen years and I still haven't moved on. If that's not pathetic then what is it?"

Peyton let go of Jamie's arm and crossed hers. "I'm sorry you're in so much pain. I wish I could make it go away."

Jamie shook her head and sank onto a bar stool. "Well you can't." She wiped away a tear as Peyton sat down next to her. "Look, I'm not mad at you or anything. I just think that we should forget the whole thing. I don't want to cause any problems for your family."

"Are you saying that we should cut each other out of our lives completely?"

"I think that would be best."

"Jamie… don't do that. Not again. You have no idea how much I missed you."

"Peyton we can't. What happened the other day could happen again, and I won't be responsible for ruining your marriage."

"Okay." Peyton stood up and walked out.

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Marie shut off her car and got out. "You know, sending your cousin to talk to me is kind of immature."

Ryan stood up and walked the rest of the way down the steps. "You wouldn't return any of my calls and you avoided me all day at school."

"So where are we?"

"This is our beach house. My mom let me turn it into a place for my band to practice."

"What did you want to talk about?"

Ryan took Marie's hand in his own. "I want us to give this a shot. I know we haven't known each other for very long but I really like you. Don't let our parents' mistakes ruin what could be an incredible relationship."

Marie smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck. She pulled his face down and kissed him. "Okay."

A car pulled up beside Marie's and four guys climbed out. Ryan hit himself in the forehead. "Crap. I forgot that we have practice today."

"I'll stay and watch."

Ryan hesitated. "Uh… Well…"

Zack, the band's drummer laughed. "Come on. We've always wanted a groupie."

"Hey!" Marie cried out. "I'm not a groupie. Only Ryan gets to be with me." Everyone whistled and Ryan blushed. Marie quickly realized the implication of her statement. "Okay, I think I'm gonna go. Ryan, I'll call you later."

Ryan nodded and kissed her goodbye. Once she had driven away the others clapped and cheered. "You go Keller! Got yourself a hot one."

"Shut up. Let's go in and start practice."

Andrew, the bass player hopped up off the steps. "Hey, don't forget, we need to get all our stuff put away before Saturday. We're having that party to celebrate the end of the first week of school."

Ryan rolled his eyes and unlocked the door. "You guys will find any excuse to have a party. I swear Andrew, one of these days you're gonna have a party just because you took a crap." The other guys laughed and followed Ryan inside.

Andrew was the last in and he shrugged. "What? I like to party."

"I don't see why we have to have it here," Ryan said, messing with the thermostat to make it cooler. "If my mom found out she'd kill me."

"Yeah right," John, one of the guitarists, called out. "You have the coolest mom ever."

Ryan rolled his eyes. "No I don't."

"Yeah you do! Your mom is the most hardcore rocker I've ever met."

"Whatever. You don't know her like I do."

Andrew plugged in his bass and shrugged. "She takes a serious interest in your life. She actually took the time to learn your music. She's like our backup. If John or Cameron couldn't play a show, she could fill in for them."

Ryan groaned. "Do you know how embarrassing it would be for me if my mother played a show with us?"

Cameron, the other guitar player sat down and started tuning his guitar. "Yeah, having the guitarist from one of the greatest rock bands ever playing with us would be horrible," he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

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April shut the hood of the shiny El Camino. She looked at the owner of the classic car and smiled. "This car is beautiful."

They young boy grinned and scratched his head. "Thanks."

"Where'd you find it?"

"My dad bought it in college and he gave it to me when I turned sixteen."

April smiled and wiped her hands on a shop rag. "So do you go to Tree Hill High?"

The boy nodded. "I just moved here. I'm Marcus Taylor."

"April Scott."

"Scott? You related to Lucas Scott?"

April nodded. "Yeah he's my brother."

"My dad and him used to hang out when they were our age. I've heard a ton of stories about him."

Tossing her rag onto a table, April walked to the front desk. "Wait. Your dad must be Luke's friend Skills."

Marcus laughed and nodded. "Yeah."

"I met him a few times. He seemed like a pretty cool guy."

"He is. Sometimes I think he's a little disappointed that I didn't inherit his basketball skills but…"

April rolled her eyes. "I swear, that's all anyone in this town cares about."

The tall, dark skinned boy grinned and leaned against the counter. "I take it you didn't inherit the b-ball gene either."

"Nope. It's kinda weird. Even my sister, who has never made any conscious attempt to play, is good."

"Wasn't your guys' dad a good player? I remember my pops telling me something about him."

April chewed on her bottom lip. _Dang it. We've already reached that subject._ "We actually have different dads. My dad was their dad's brother. He played in high school but he wasn't super talented at it."

Marcus digested this information, taking note of the nervous expression on April's face. Wanting to show that it didn't bother him, he smiled and said, "I guess that explains why you're so much younger than your brother. You're dad must be Keith Scott. My dad told me about what a great guy he was."

Shrugging, April finished the form and pressed a few buttons on the cash register. "I wouldn't know. He died before I was born."

"You okay? You look kinda…"

April sighed and wiped her eyes. "I'm sorry. A lot of people don't like me because of my screwed up family."

"What's screwed up about it? You seem like a pretty normal person to me."

Laughing, brown haired girl accepted Marcus' credit card. "I think it would be easier to list the ways it's not screwed up. One thing you'll quickly learn in this town is that there is a lot of drama, mixed with tragedy, and a little bit of scandal sprinkled on top."

Marcus signed the receipt and tucked his credit card back in his wallet. "Maybe we can have lunch some time and you can fill me in on the happenings of this town."

April smiled and wrote down her cell number. "Sure. Give me a call." As Marcus got in his car she added, "And take care of that car."

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Lucas burst out laughing when Jamie walked into his kitchen.

"Hey!"

After a few moments Lucas managed to pull himself together. "Sorry. I just… what on earth did you do to your hair?"

Jamie reached up and patted her hair. It had been cut to just below her chin. It also had black and red highlights in it. "What are you talking about? Do you have any idea how many compliments I got on the way over here?"

Brooke came into the room and gasped. "Jamie your hair looks incredible! Where did you get it done?"

Rolling her eyes, Jamie sat down across from her brother. "One of my old hair stylists was at my studio today so I paid him to do it."

Brooke walked up behind her sister-in-law and began to play with her hair. "Well it looks awesome. Maybe I should get mine done like this."

Lucas choked on his coffee and doubled over coughing. The two women laughed hysterically. "What's wrong bro?"

"Brooke, sweetie, I will write a book about how beautiful you are if you refrain from copying that hairstyle."

Jamie mocked hurt. "Lucas! Don't you think my hair looks good?"

The blond writer had a comeback ready however. "On a lesbian rockstar, yes. On my wife, no."

Brooke grinned mischievously. She bent down and wrapped her arms around her sister-in-law's waist and rested her head on Jamie's shoulder. In a husky voice she said, "Maybe I should start playing for the other team."

Lucas groaned and covered his face. "God Brooke! She's my sister. If you want to open up our marriage, fine. Just leave my relatives out of it."

Brooke laughed and stood up. "Hmm. Opening up our marriage. That sounds interesting. You know, there was this really hot guy at the grocery store today. Maybe we can ask him."

Lucas' second groan was drowned out by his twin sons yelling, "Eww!" David clapped his hands over his ears. "I think I'm gonna be scarred for life."

Sean shook his head and walked out of the kitchen. He was muttering something about his family being insane. David followed, his hands still over his ears.

Lucas took another drink of his coffee and looked up at his wife, afraid that she was going to seriously pursue this idea. "You are joking right?"

"Relax sweetie." Brooke replied, sitting down on his lap. "I won't hook up with your sister."

Jamie laughed and stood up. "Guess you're stuck with the grocery store boy." She walked over to the fridge and pulled out a bottle of water. "Now that we're done talking about your sex lives, I actually came over here for another reason than showing off my fabulous hair."

Brooke slid into a separate chair and raised her eyebrows. "What's up?"

Sitting back down, Jamie took a drink of her water before answering. "Well, my annual charity event for St. Jude Children's Hospital is coming up next month and I wanted to do something extra special this year."

Lucas reached into his back pocket for his checkbook. "How much do you want us to donate?"

"I'm not looking for a donation, although you're more than welcome to. I'm doing a performance like always and visiting with the kids. I was thinking that maybe you could do a reading of your latest children's novel, and Brooke could donate a special Clothes Over Bros outfit for each child."

Brooke smiled. "Of course. That would be great. There's no point in being rich if we can't help those in need."

Lucas looked a little pale. "You want me to read my book? In front of people?"

Rolling her eyes, Jamie took another drink of her water. "Come on Luke. Your series has been called this generation's Harry Potter. Kids love your books. Please?"

"Oh, alright. Since it's for a good cause."

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Jake walked through the front door and breathed a sigh of relief. He went up into the master bedroom and put his gun and badge into a drawer and locked it. Once he was sure the gun was securely locked away he went back downstairs. In the kitchen he found his wife sitting at the table waiting on him. "Hey baby."

Peyton smiled and kissed him when he walked over to her. "How was work?"

"Tiring, but nowhere near as hectic as LA was."

"So you haven't caught the guy who raped Nathan's daughter?"

Jake sighed and massaged Peyton's shoulders. "You know I can't talk to you about that. It's an ongoing investigation."

"I know. I just hate that Annabelle has to live with that guy running around free."

"We'll get him eventually."

Peyton stood up and faced her husband. "I've got something I have to tell you."

Jake pulled her closer and wrapped his arms around her. "What is it?"

"I… I did something. Something I'm not proud of." She pulled back and looked into her husband's eyes. "The other day, after we had that fight, I had a few too many drinks at the beach house with Jamie and I… I kissed her."

Jake's eyes filled with hurt. He turned around and leaned against the counter. "Why?"

"I don't know Jake. We were drunk and it was just a stupid mistake."

"Is that why Marie has been acting weird around you lately?"

Peyton let out a sigh. "Yes. She walked in on us."

This statement seemed to make Jake angry. "Oh? So if she hadn't shown up, what would have happened?"

"Jake, please don't do that. I love you and I didn't mean for this to happen."

"No." Jake replied, shaking his head. "I know that you would never intentionally hurt me. It's just… do you still have feelings for her?"

Peyton dropped back into her chair. "I guess I do. And that will probably never change, but it doesn't matter. I chose to be with you."

Jake walked over and stood in front of her. "You once told me that you were having doubts about your relationship with her before I showed up. If I hadn't come to your house and asked you to be with me, do you think you would have tried to hold on to what you two had?"

"I… Jake that isn't fair. Be angry about what happened two days ago, but don't bring up ancient history."

"Damn it Peyton! You brought up that so called 'ancient history' when you made out with your ex-girlfriend. Thank god our daughter walked in or you probably would have slept with her." Before Peyton could get out a response, Jake grabbed his keys and stormed out of the house.

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A/N: Let me know what you think.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Thanks for the reviews. They are all greatly appreciated. This chapter is going to be very short but a lot of important stuff is going to happen.

Disclaimer: See first chapter.

Chapter 5 

Jamie didn't turn around as the footsteps approached. She glanced to her side as the person stepped up to the railing and looked out over the river. "Hi Jake."

"Lucas said I would probably find you here."

Nodding, Jamie pulled out a cigarette and lit it. "I like to come here to think."

"That's a terrible habit."

Jamie sent him a confused look. "Thinking?"

"Smoking."

The tall blond nodded. "Yeah, I know. I quit up until a few days ago."

Jake rolled his eyes. "So you're saying that you started smoking after you saw Peyton?"

Jamie shrugged. "It's the truth. These things help with my nerves. I'm guessing Peyton told you about what happened." Jake nodded in response. "So what do you want? An apology?"

"I want to know if you're going to try to win her back."

Jamie sat down on the guardrail and blew out a stream of smoke. "I don't intend on ruining your marriage Jake. I accepted a long time ago that Peyton and I are over."

"Do you really expect me to believe that?"

Jamie stood up and threw her cigarette into the river. "I don't care what you believe. I told Peyton to stay away from me. Nothing else is going to happen."

She started to walk to her car but Jake called out to her. "You said that once before. Why should I believe you now?"

The tall blond turned around. "What are you talking about?"

"Don't you remember? It was here, on Mollina Bridge."

Flashback 

An eighteen-year-old Jamie stood on the bridge, staring at the water. A car pulled up and Jake got out. Jamie looked at him then returned to her staring.

"Hi." When he didn't get a response he stepped up next to her. "Can we talk?"

"Whatever."

"Look, I know I'm not your favorite person right now, but I wanted to talk to you before you left."

Jamie put her hands in her pockets and sighed. "Okay. What do you want to talk about?"

Jake turned to face the tall blonde but she continued to look out over the river. "I want to talk about Peyton."

Finally turning to face him, Jamie looked up and said, "What's to talk about? She chose you."

"But she still cares about you. A lot. As much as I hate to admit it, if you tried to fight for her, she might go back to you."

"Relax Jake. I'm not going to try to take her from you. She made her decision and I plan to respect that."

Jake nodded and returned to his car. Once he was gone, Jamie pulled her hand out of her pocket and looked at the black ring box she was holding. With tears rolling down her face, she pulled her arm back and flung the box into the fast moving water.

End Flashback 

"Look Jake, I'm sorry about what happened. I didn't go to your beach house with any intentions other than talking to Peyton. The kiss was just a drunken mistake and it's not going to happen again because I won't let it." Before he could respond she got in her car and drove away.

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Annabelle walked out of the café and looked up at the sky.

Damn it. I can't believe it's dark already. If I don't get home quickly… But I can't. I can't deal with the looks anymore. I'm tired of Dad and Braden treating me like some fragile little kid. Mom is even worse. She's constantly dropping hints that I can talk to her any time I feel like it. It's not like I don't know this. Why can't they all just understand that I'm not ready to discuss it? Hell, I don't even know how to discuss it. How am I supposed to start that conversation? What do I do, go up to my mom and say 'hey let's talk about me getting raped'? It also doesn't help that they're making me go to therapy. They're so stupid. If I can't talk to them about my attack, how on earth am I going to tell a complete stranger?

Annabelle wasn't paying much attention to what she was doing. She remained lost in thought until she heard screeching tires. A black van had stopped in front of her and two men jumped out of the back. Anna tried to turn and run but they were too quick. She managed to scream before one of them clamped a hand over her mouth. They pulled her into the van and took off.

Ryan, who had just stepped out of the café, saw what happened and immediately dropped the bag of trash he had been taking out for his grandmother. Disregarding the fact that he didn't have a helmet, he jumped on his motorcycle and took off after the van. 

He chased after them for a couple of miles. He was gaining on them when the van went barreling through a red light. A car swerved out of the way, right into Ryan's path. His eyes widened and the front of his motorcycle plowed into the car.

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A/N: How was it? Am I too mean to my characters? Let me know what you think.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Thanks to all the people who reviewed.

Disclaimer: I don't own One Tree Hill. I do own all of my original characters and the plot though.

Chapter 6 

Nathan sank into a chair and covered his face with his hands. He had just been informed of his daughter's kidnapping. He listened to the officer explain the standard procedure and about tapping the phone lines to listen in on the ransom call, but he didn't really absorb the information. After a few minutes he stood up. He had just heard one of the officers say something about calling his wife.

"Hey, hold on minute. Don't call Haley. She's on her way home, and it would be best if I tell her what happened."

Jake walked over and nodded. "That's fine. I'm really sorry Nathan. About this, and what I said earlier at the police station." Nathan nodded and gripped the back of a chair.

"Maybe I should be out there, looking for her."

"No. We need you here. There's a very good chance the people who kidnapped your daughter are going to call. Now I know you've already been asked this, but can you think of anyone who would want to kidnap Annabelle? Any enemies of yours?"

The distressed father shook his head. "No. I don't know of anyone specific. Do you think this is a money thing? If it is, I'll pay whatever they want."

Before Jake could answer, the front door opened and Haley came rushing in. "Nathan what's going on? Why are the police here?"

Nathan stood up and held his wife against him. "It's Anna. She's been abducted." Haley began to cry and soon Nathan was too. Jake motioned at the three uniformed cops to leave. He told the frightened parents that he would be in the next room and left, closing the door behind him. Once they were alone, Nathan pulled his wife over to the couch and sat down. "It's gonna be okay. We'll get her back."

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The moment Jamie opened her front door she knew something was wrong. Chief Riley was standing on the porch with a solemn look on his face. Standing aside, the tall blonde let him in and shut the door.

"Listen Jamie, there's no easy way to say this so I'm just going to get it over with. Your son Ryan was involved in an accident."

"No." Jamie said, stumbling backwards. "No. He can't have."

"I'm sorry. Based on eyewitnesses, we believe he may have been chasing after a van involved in the kidnapping of your brother's daughter. He wasn't wearing a helmet."

Tears began to roll down Jamie's cheeks. "Is he okay? Did they take him to the hospital? And what… you said Anna was kidnapped?" Each time she spoke her breathing became heavier and more ragged.

The chief pulled a chair out and made Jamie sit down. "Easy Jamie. Breathe."

"I-I have to go. I have to go to the hospital."

"Okay. I'll drive you over there."

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Nathan looked at the sleeping form of his son. He hadn't taken the news of his sister's abduction very well. It had been twelve hours but the kidnappers hadn't tried to contact them. Nathan began to feel the effects of exhaustion setting in. He hadn't slept in over twenty-four hours but the anxiety was keeping him up. That and the fact that his house had been turned into a combination police headquarters and hotel. He turned and walked downstairs, the smell of coffee and bacon luring him to the kitchen. His mother was busy making food for the family and the police.

Nathan knew that she was using this as a way to work out her emotions. _At least she is doing something useful,_ he thought._ I wish Braden could find a healthy way to vent his feelings. _So far all Braden had done besides brood was break a glass, kick several chairs around, upend the kitchen table, and nearly attack one of the officers.

Deb noticed her son standing in the doorway. She quickly gave him a hug and a cup of coffee. "How ya feeling?"

"Honestly, I feel really helpless. All this waiting and worrying is starting to get to me. I don't know much longer I can take it."

"Why don't you get some sleep?"

Nathan shook his head. "I've tried. I won't be able to rest until I know that Anna is okay."

She set a plate of eggs and bacon on the table and pointed at a chair. "Sit down and eat. Starving yourself isn't going to help your daughter."

Too tired to argue, the distressed father sat down and began shoveling food into his mouth. His plate was nearly empty when the phone rang. Time seemed to have stopped as everyone in the house froze. Nathan practically leaped out of his seat and ran into the large living room. Jake nodded and he picked up the phone. "Hello?"

The voice on the other end of the line was distorted. "It's been a while Nathan."

"Where is my daughter?" Nathan yelled, completely ignoring the instructions to remain calm. "What have you done with her?"

"As of now, your daughter is unharmed. If you want her to remain that way, you will do exactly as I say."

Nathan glanced up at Jake, who nodded. "Alright. What do you want?"

"First off, tell the police who are listening in that if they trace this call and come after me, I'll kill your daughter. Of course, I don't expect them to listen, therefore I will call you again once we have relocated."

"What do you want? Hello? Damn it!" Nathan slammed the phone down and began pacing. "Fuck!"

Jake sighed and turned to the officer at the computer. "Did you trace the call?"

"No. It wasn't long enough."

Turning back to Nathan he pulled out his pad and pen. "Okay, we need to go over a few things. Judging by how he greeted you, this guy obviously knows you. Is there anyone who has a grudge against you? Think back, as far as possible, even when you were a kid."

"I… no. I can't think of anyone. The only person who's ever gone after me is dead."

"Daunte." Lucas said, walking up to the table.

Jake looked back and forth. "Okay, explain this to me."

Nathan let out a frustrated sigh and stopped pacing. He and Lucas filled Jake in on everything that had happened with Daunte. His pacing resumed, Nathan asked, "Do you think it could be one of his people?"

"I doubt it. It wouldn't make sense for someone to wait seventeen years to exact revenge. Not to mention this person seemed to know you on a more personal level. He called you by your first name, which is indicative of him being a close acquaintance."

"But I told you, I don't know of anyone who would do this! I don't exactly make a habit of spending time with criminals."

Lucas grabbed his brother's arm and steered him into the kitchen. "Calm down. You getting all upset isn't going to help."

Haley, who had been standing unnoticed at the bottom of the stairs, quickly followed them. "What did the person say? Does he have Annabelle?"

Nathan turned back around and enveloped his wife in a tight hug. "He does. All he said was that he was going to call back soon."

Lucas poured them both coffee and practically forced them to sit down. "You guys need to take a few minutes and chill out. Nathan, when this creep calls back, you need to be able to stay calm."

Taking a drink of his coffee, the distressed father nodded. "Have you heard from anyone at the hospital?" Upon learning of Ryan's accident, the family had basically split up. Deb, Lucas, Nathan, Haley, and Braden were at the house, while Jamie, Karen, April, Brooke, Sean, and David were at the hospital.

"My mom called a little while ago. Ryan is still in the ICU. There hasn't been any change."

Upon seeing the pained expression on his face, Haley stood up and walked over to her brother-in-law. "Luke, what is it? What's wrong?"

Lucas sighed heavily before answering. "The doctors don't think he's going to make it."

Silence filled the room. Nathan slammed his cup down, sloshing coffee onto the table. "This is ridiculous. Why the hell is all this shit happening?"

Haley hugged Nathan again and whispered, "I don't know. We just have to keep hoping."

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Jamie's eyes fluttered open. She looked around, unsure of when she had fallen asleep. There wasn't a clock in the room so she dug around in her jacket pocket for her cell phone. She was surprised that it was already nine in the morning. The nurses had told her she couldn't stay in her son's room all night but she had refused to move. The door opened and soon Jamie felt a familiar hand on her shoulder. Looking up she saw Peyton standing there. She stood up and let herself be hugged. In that moment, they forgot all about boundaries and awkwardness. For the first time since she had learned of her son's accident, she let her guard down completely.

Peyton's shirt was wet from tears when Jamie finally let go. Reaching up, she wiped away the last tear that had fallen. She let her finger run along Jamie's face before cupping her cheek. "He's gonna be okay. You can't give up on him."

"Thank you." Jamie whispered as she hugged her again. She rested her chin on Peyton's shoulder and let out a long, slow breath. "Thanks you for being here for me. I'm sorry for giving you the cold shoulder earlier."

"Shh. It's okay. Don't worry about that right now."

Pulling away, Jamie sat back down. She gently took her son's left hand in her own. "Hey. I know you're probably tired of hearing me ramble on, but the only way I'll be able to stop is if you wake up."

Suddenly Ryan's heart monitor began to beep quicker and quicker. Jamie jumped up out of her seat and looked at Peyton in horror. A doctor and three nurses rushed in and surrounded the bed. Jamie repeatedly asked what was wrong before the doctor yelled to get her out of there. Peyton pulled her into the hallway and the two of them stood by the window and watched. Ryan's heart had stopped beating and they were trying desperately to resuscitate him.

Jamie stood with her hands over her mouth, her heart pounding in her chest. Peyton had her arms around the terrified mother, afraid she would run back into the room. After several minutes, the doctor and nurses stopped their motions and stood back, gazing down in sorrow. Jamie shrieked out, "No! God, no! Please no." Her knees gave way and had Peyton not been holding her, she probably would have fallen to the ground. Instead Peyton slowly sank to her knees and held the sobbing woman against her.

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Lucas closed his cell phone and put a hand over his face. Nathan noticed and walked over to him. When Lucas looked up, there were tears in his eyes. Shaking his head in disbelief, Nathan took a step back.

"No. It can't be." The only response he got was a nod as his brother made his way to a seat. "Damn it!" he yelled. Deb, Haley and Braden came hurrying over. All three of them knew what was going on but waited for it to be said.

The older Scott brother looked up and wiped his eyes. "Brooke just called. Ryan… he… there was… he didn't make it."

Deb sank into a chair and Haley ran into her husband's arms. Braden, on the other hand, grabbed an empty glass vase and hurled it against the wall. Everyone in the room looked at him, apprehensive of what he would do next. In an unnervingly calm tone, he said, "I've gotta get out of here." Before anyone could respond he took off running out the door.

Nathan held his wife against him. He felt even more helpless than ever before. Lucas, Jamie, and he had developed a support system to get each other through difficult times, but they hadn't counted on a situation like this. He wanted to go be with his sister but he couldn't risk not being here when Anna's kidnapper called again.

"Luke, you should go to the hospital."

Lucas nodded and left.

About half an hour later the house phone rang. Nathan picked it up. "Hello?"

Once again the distorted voice came through. "Hello Nathan. Are you ready to listen to me now?"

Nathan struggled to keep his voice calm. "W-what do you want? Do you want money? Just name your price."

"This isn't about money Nathan. This is about revenge. This is about you turning your back on me."

"What? Who are you?" He paused to take a deep breath. "We can't work this out if I don't know who you are."

"I've been called a lot of things in my life. A husband, a father, a brother, a son. Hell, I've even been called dead. But you, you had a much different name for me." The speaker paused and Nathan could hear a click. Then, with no more distortion, a shockingly familiar voice said, "You Nathan, used to call me your dad."

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A/N: How's that for a shocker? It wasn't as long as I'd planned but it will have to do for now. Let me know what you think.


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Thanks for all the great reviews. I have a question to pose. A couple of people that have read this (not on but people I actually know) have told me they liked Jamie better as a detective. I've been giving it a lot of thought and since so little time has passed in the story and I haven't done anything major involving her music, I could go back to the way it was and say she's a detective. Review to let me know what you think. I guess I'll take a poll and whichever gets more votes is what I will go with. I have a lot of ideas for either choice so give me your opinion.

Disclaimer: Why must I constantly be reminded that I don't own One Tree Hill? I also don't own the lyrics to "Your Guardian Angel" by The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus.

Rating: M

Chapter 7 

Jamie lay on the bed, facing the wall. She wasn't crying but there were stains from her recent tears on the pillowcase. Someone was knocking at the door but she ignored them.

After a while the knocking subsided and silence resumed. Jamie let out a weak sigh and picked up the picture of her son. Tears once more began to fall.

Suddenly Jamie felt someone lie down behind her. The person at the door hadn't gone away, but instead had silently entered the room. Rolling onto her other side, she saw that it was Peyton. The curly blond scooted closer and wrapped her arms around Jamie. No words were spoken as Jamie rested her head on Peyton and slid an arm around her waist.

Peyton stroked Jamie's hair and whispered words of comfort. Eventually the grieving mother's breathing evened out and she fell asleep. The thought that she should get up entered Peyton's mind but she chose to remain where she was. About ten minutes later she looked up and saw her husband standing in the doorway. He had his 'we need to talk' look so she carefully laid Jamie's head onto the pillow stood up.

They walked a little further down the hall so they wouldn't be overheard. Jake crossed his arms and leaned back against the wall. Deciding to get straight to the point, he sighed and looked up at his wife. "Are you even going to try to save this marriage?"

"What are you talking about Jake?"

"I'm talking about you laying in there cuddled up with your ex-girlfriend."

Peyton was shocked. "She just lost her son! I was comforting her. Why are you trying to make that into something it's not?"

"Because all we've done the past month is fight. We argue over the littlest things, and since we moved here, you've been pulling away even more."

"Jake, the problems with our marriage have nothing to do with what you saw. I'm not going to apologize for laying there with her."

Jake stood up straight and slowly paced the width of the hallway. "That's the problem Peyton. You can't see it. I feel like I'm losing you."

Peyton put her arms around Jake's neck and looked into his eyes. "You're not losing me. I know we're having our problems, and you think I'm going to leave you for Jamie, but it's not like that. Her child just died, she's in an incredible amount of pain, and I'm the only one she'll let comfort her."

"You know as well as I do that she'll open up eventually. You don't have to be the one to take care of her."

Removing her arms and stepping back, Peyton stared at her husband in disbelief. "You just don't get it. What I said before is true. You've changed, and not for the better." Then, before he could respond, she turned around and went downstairs.

Meanwhile, in the living room, Haley, Nathan, Brooke, Lucas, Karen, and Deb were sitting around the coffee table trying to figure out what was going on. Everyone had listened to the recording several times and they all agreed that the caller was unmistakably the late Dan Scott.

Deb let out a deep breath and leaned forward. "I don't understand how this is possible. I shot him. I put two bullets in his back. It doesn't make any sense."

Lucas nodded in agreement. "I was there. He definitely looked dead."

Nathan stood up and began to walk around the room in a circle. "We'll know for sure once they exhume his body."

Haley let out a slight sob and Brooke put an arm around her. "Hey, it's gonna be okay. We're gonna get Anna back."

"I just can't believe it's already Friday and they still haven't found her. Why hasn't Dan called back?" She began to cry much harder so Brooke gave Nathan her seat and he held her tightly against him.

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April wiped her eyes and got out of her car. She didn't want to be at school but the alternative was sitting at Nathan's house all day. As she walked down the hall, she saw that there was a memorial set up at Ryan's locker. Part of her was glad to see it, but a part of her wanted to go over and kick the stuff away. She couldn't help but feel anger at her cousin's recklessness. However, as she was thinking this, her mind flashed back to her sister's words the day before.

Flashback

Jamie stepped up to the podium and gripped it tightly. It was obvious that she could barely stand. She took a few deep breaths and wiped her eyes with a tissue. "I… I don't think there are any words to describe how terrible it is to have such a young promising life end. Ryan… Ryan was… he was my son. And he was an incredible one too." She paused and smiled, tears pouring down her cheeks. "I always tried to teach him to… to be the best he could be. That's how I will always remember him. Ryan always tried to put others first. He… his…" She stopped again to calm herself. "My son died in a tragic accident, and it was due in part to not wearing a helmet. A part of me wants to… to… I…" Once again she had to stop. The room was quiet, most of the people in tears themselves. When Jamie managed to regain her composure she took a deep breath. "A small part of me wants to be angry at Ryan for not wearing a helmet. But I realized that that anger is misplaced. You see, the reason Ryan wasn't wearing a helmet is because he didn't have time to go inside and get it. He… he witnessed another member of this family being abducted and he immediately… he immediately tried to rescue her. What he did was reckless and it… it cost him his life, but it was also incredibly brave. I couldn't have asked for a more amazing son, and I will always be thankful for having him in my life. I… I want to ask that as you pay your respects to my son, you say a prayer for my niece Annabelle. Please pray for her safe return. One child lost is horrible. We don't need to bury another."

Jamie took her seat and leaned into her mother's hug, overcome with grief. The song, 'Your Guardian Angel' began to play.

When I see your smile 

_Tears run down my face I can't replace_

_And now that I'm strong I have figured out_

_How this world turns cold and it breaks through my soul_

_And I know I'll find deep inside me I can be the one_

_I will never let you fall_

_I'll stand up with you forever_

_I'll be there for you through it all_

_Even if saving you sends me to heaven_

_It's okay. It's okay. It's okay._

_Seasons are changing_

_And waves are crashing_

_And stars are falling all for us_

_Days grow longer and nights grow shorter_

_I can show you I'll be the one_

_I will never let you fall (let you fall)_

_I'll stand up with you forever_

_I'll be there for you through it all (through it all)_

_Even if saving you sends me to heaven_

_Cuz you're my, you're my, my, my true love, my whole heart_

_Please don't throw that away_

_Cuz I'm here for you_

_Please don't walk away and_

_Please tell me you'll stay, stay_

_Use me as you will_

_Pull my strings just for a thrill_

_And I know I'll be okay_

_Though my skies are turning gray_

_I will never let you fall_

_I'll stand up with you forever_

_I'll be there for you through it all_

_Even if saving you sends me to heaven_

Flashback

April felt tears coming to her eyes as she stood in front of the memorial. Just as she was about to turn and run out of the school she felt a hand on her shoulder. When she saw that it was Marcus. She smiled and allowed him to pull her into a side hug. He turned her to walk to their first class, which they shared, and said, "It's okay. You don't have to do this alone."

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A/N: Not as long as planned but I wanted to get everybody's opinion on my question before I went any farther. I really need advice on this one. The people who put this idea in my head seemed to think that the story would be much better if Jamie was a detective like I had originally planned and I can't decide. Please let me know what you think.


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: I've decided that I'm not going to change anything. It's just too far into the story to change something major like that. I tried writing it the other way and it just didn't feel right.

Disclaimer: Duh

Chapter 8 

David lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling. He was bored and desperately wanted to go play ball at the rivercourt. Ever since discovering that Dan could still be alive, all of the children had basically been put on lockdown. All of their parents were afraid that Dan would attempt to take another captive. Sighing, he reached to his beside table and grabbed his journal. David had inherited not only Lucas' basketball skills, but also his talent as a writer. He wrote in his journal constantly and he also wrote some fiction. Whenever he wrote a story he was particularly proud of he would post it on a website he had created.

Flipping the small notebook open he picked up a pencil and began writing.

_Dear Journal,_

_Today was my first day back at school since the accident/kidnapping happened. Everyone at school was staring at me and whispering. It really irritates me that they're so surprised. I really hate the stereotype that popular people have no problems. Speaking of problems, I think we're all worried about the press finding out my psychotic grandfather is apparently alive and responsible for kidnapping Annabelle. God this so fucked up. I don't know much about his supposed death, but about half an hour ago, right when I got home from school, I heard Mom and Dad talking about how he tried to kill Dad and Aunt Jamie. The worst part of it all is that Sean and I are stuck inside. Mom is so, so paranoid. She thinks that if we step one foot out the door, we're going to be taken. Heck, it might actually be better that way. Sean and I should be out searching for Anna. I know that probably sounds stupid, but the police aren't having any luck. Not to mention the fact that a couple of teenagers would be a lot less conspicuous than a bunch of cops. Hmm. Maybe we should do that, parents' rules be damned. I know we would get into a ton of trouble but that doesn't really seem to matter. Well journal, I have to go get my brother so we can sneak out. We might as well get Braden too. I don't know if Uncle Nate or Aunt Haley have noticed that he's been leaving every night to search for his sister, but he would be a lot better off with backup. Between the three of us, we should be pretty safe._

David closed his journal and tossed it into the drawer. He slowly opened his bedroom door and snuck down the hall to his brother's room. He went inside and explained his plan. Fifteen minutes later the twins went downstairs to see if they could sneak away. They were both surprised to find a note saying that their parents would be home for dinner in a few hours and that they were to stay on the property at all times.

Sean laughed and tucked his car keys in his pocket. "They make it too easy."

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Jamie stood in the doorway and looked around her son's room. A small part of her wanted to get rid of everything in a desperate attempt to find peace with his death, but another part of her couldn't stand the idea. In her heart she knew that the room would stay the way it was forever.

Tears falling, she turned and walked downstairs. As she made her way to her personal lounge, she began to regret buying such a large house. When she reached the lounge she immediately walked over to a shelf and picked up a dvd. The case was labeled, 'From Garage to Grandeur.' Jamie put it in the dvd player and switched the tv on. Sinking into her chair, she began to cry again. On the screen, Ryan was looking into the camera and talking about his band. He had started taping at the creation of the band and had continued up until they played their debut performance.

When the dvd finally stopped playing, Jamie curled her legs up and began to sob, her face buried in her knees.

When she opened her eyes she was unsure of whether or not she had fallen asleep. All she knew was that the doorbell was ringing and she felt too weak to get up and answer it. When the ringing didn't stop she slowly stood up and walked to the front door.

"You're really stubborn you know," was her response when she saw that it was once again Peyton refusing to leave her alone. "Come on in."

"How are you holding up?" Peyton asked, hugging Jamie tightly.

Jamie held her eyes shut, refusing to allow more tears to come. "I don't really think there's a word for how I feel."

Peyton pulled back and looked into Jamie's eyes. "I was over at Nathan's with Jake and he got a call about a motorcycle being found in Mollina River. They said it was yours and I… I thought you'd… but then Karen called and you answered."

Pulling her into a hug once more, Jamie let out a sigh. "I thought about it. I almost did it, in more ways than one. After about half an hour of speeding around town without a helmet on, I rode to the bridge. I climbed over the guardrail and stared down at the water."

Peyton looked at her in shock. She tucked a few strands of Jamie's hair behind her ear. "Well I'm glad you didn't. If you ever start thinking about killing yourself again, call me and I'll come stay with you. Suicide isn't the answer. Ryan wouldn't want you to do that."

"I know." Jamie said, tears falling down her cheeks again. "I just… it's my fault. It's all my fault." Peyton pulled her against her for the third time and rubbed circles on her back.

"It's not your fault. You taught him to be safe and it… it just happened."

"No. I never should have let him have a motorcycle. I knew how dangerous they could be. Hell, I'd been in a motorcycle accident myself and it was a miracle I didn't get seriously hurt." By this point her words could barely be understood, she was crying so hard. "If I hadn't given in to his pleading he'd still be alive. Mom was against it and I should have listened to her."

Peyton grabbed Jamie's face and held her head still. "Stop it. Ryan's death was not your fault. Your mother and I talked and she told me about how happy Ryan was with his motorcycle. You taught him everything you knew about being safe. Karen told me that you set rules, like if he ever got a speeding ticket you would take it away from him. It's not fair that he was taken from you but you did not cause it. Okay?"

Jamie nodded and walked over to a table in the living room. She grabbed a few tissues and blew her nose. After taking a minute to regain her composure, she returned to Peyton. "Will you come upstairs with me? I've got something of Ryan's in my room and I though Marie might like to have it. I know they hadn't even been dating for a week but…"

"Of course."

When they entered Jamie's room, the taller blonde walked over to her bed and dropped to her knees. She reached under the bed and pulled out a guitar case. "This is Ryan's first guitar."

Peyton walked over as Jamie stood up. "Are you sure you want to give that away?"

"Yeah. The night before… before he died, we talked and apologized to each other, and he told me about how much he liked Marie. He said there was something that just drew him in and he couldn't explain it." She gave Peyton a small smile. "I guess it must be genetic."

Peyton smiled back and gently put a hand on Jamie's shoulder. "I'll give it to her."

Jamie nodded and sighed. "I don't know how to thank you. There's no way I could have made it through the past few days without you. My family is… supportive but… I don't know. I guess that connection we had is still there."

The curly blonde hugged Jamie once more, pushing the thoughts of their inappropriate closeness to the back of her mind. When they parted, she felt her heart start to beat faster. Before she knew it, she was leaning forward. Their lips were about to touch when Jamie pulled away and stepped back. She held Peyton's gaze and said, "What are we doing? We can't do this." She walked to the bedroom door and started to open it.

Suddenly, just as she had done the first time they kissed, many years ago, Peyton ran forward and pushed the door shut. "Wait."

Jamie turned around and leaned against the door, her heart pounding. "I can't do this. Not unless you're sure you want to be with me. I couldn't take having my heart broken again."

"I… I don't know what I want. I love Jake. I really do. But we've been fighting a lot lately and ever since you showed up at our house last Sunday, I haven't been able to get you out of my head. I…" She turned away and covered her face with her hand.

"It's okay."

Peyton shook her head. "No it's not. It's not fair to Jake, and it's not fair to you. I just… I think I may have made a mistake when I let you go."

Jamie put one hand on Peyton's shoulder and cupped her cheek with the other. "Listen to me. There's no point in second-guessing your choice seventeen years later. If you hadn't left me and married Jake, you never would have had Marie. It's the same with me. If we had still been together, I never would have left Tree Hill with Chris, and I never would have been able to adopt Ryan. Even though I've never been in so much pain as I am now, I wouldn't give up all the good times we had. I know you wouldn't give up Marie for the world."

Nodding, Peyton closed her eyes and sighed. "I know. I wouldn't give up being a mother to Jenny either."

Walking over to her bed, Jamie sat down and patted the spot next to her. "You deserve to have the best life possible and I couldn't give that to you. Believe it or not, I never questioned your decision. I understood why you broke up with me. It just hurt that I couldn't be the one for you." Peyton sat down and Jamie took her hand in her own. "But in the end I realized that things eventually worked out for the best. If I hadn't left to play guitar for Chris, the other members of Flooded Mindset wouldn't have seen me play and I wouldn't have joined the band. Those were some of the best years of my life. Not only did I become famous and get the opportunity to record my own music, but I was able to give Ryan the life I never had."

Peyton smiled and leaned against Jamie. "He was a lucky kid. He had such a great mother."

Jamie's smile fell. "I don't know about that. I've always wondered if I made the right decisions with him. When Chris died, I was only twenty-one and I didn't have a clue about how to raise a kid on my own. I chose to raise him while being in a band, and it was incredibly tough sometimes. The only reason I didn't just move back here and settle down was because I knew I wouldn't be able to support him."

"I'm sure you would have found a way."

"I know, but I wanted to give him everything. With the way I spoiled him, it's a wonder he ended up being such a generous and caring person."

Peyton sat up and let go of Jamie's hand. "Did you ever find anyone else? Fall in love again?"

Jamie shrugged. "I think that I was in love with Chris. Well, I don't think there's really a way to define it. Our relationship was never physical, obviously, but it definitely went beyond friendship. We were like a married couple, without the sex and making out."

"Wow. That's something I never would have seen coming."

"Yeah. When Ryan's mother died and Chris found out about him, he was terrified. His parents turned their backs on him so I decided to stick by him. When he died… it was hard, but I couldn't give Ryan up. He was my son and that was all that mattered."

Peyton smiled. "Was there anyone else?"

Jamie shook her head. "I… I had several flings over the years, but never a relationship that lasted more than a couple weeks. It was just too hard. I couldn't put the necessary effort into a relationship." She stopped and stood up. "There's something else I wanted to talk you about." She chewed her bottom lip, feeling a little nervous. "I… when I first started making money, I started an account for Ryan's college tuition. There's… I don't need it, and…"

"What is it? You can tell me."

"I want to give it to you, for Marie."

Peyton's eyes widened in surprise. "Jamie… that's… I can't accept that. It's too much."

Jamie sighed and pulled an envelope out of a drawer. "I know it sounds crazy but…"

"You should give it to April. She needs it more."

Jamie shook her head and laughed. "She won't have to worry about that. Lucas, Nathan, and I have a college fund set up for her that she's gonna get as a graduation present."

Peyton frowned and looked down. "I'm just not sure Jake would be very happy with it."

"Okay. Well, if you ever change your mind, it's there. You should probably go. I'm sure Jake's waiting on you."

Peyton grabbed Jamie's shoulders and turned her around. "Don't do this. Don't shut me out again."

"Please Peyton. I just want to be alone."

"I want to help you."

"You can't. I know you want to be there for me, but there's nothing you can do to make the pain go away."

Peyton nodded and hugged Jamie. "Okay. I'll go, but only if you promise to call me if you need anything."

"I will."

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Nathan felt his heart skip a beat when the phone rang. He held his breath as he walked into the living room.

Picking up the phone he asked, "Dan?"

"Hello Nathan."

"Look, we need to figure this out. Just tell me what you want. I'll do anything to get Annabelle back."

"You don't have to worry about her. She won't be harmed. That is, provided you do what I want."

Nathan felt relieved. "Alright. What do you want?"

"I was thinking something along the lines of a trade."

"What do you mean? You want me to take Anna's place?"

Dan laughed. "Oh no. I don't think so. You're not the one I have unfinished business with."

Nathan sighed and looked at Jake. With the speakerphone on, they couldn't communicate verbally without giving it away. Jake nodded and scribbled on a pad of paper. _Just talk to him and see what he wants._

"Okay. Who are you talking about?"

"I'll give you a hint. How many sisters do you have?"

Anger erupted inside of Nathan. "No way. I'm not going to let you take Jamie."

"Yes you will," said a voice from behind him. Nobody had noticed Jamie come in. "I'm listening Dan. What do you want?"

"I want you to pay for ruining my life."

Jamie let out a sigh. "You did that all on your own. I want to know what I have to do to get you to give Annabelle up."

"It's not just you. It's your mother as well. The two of you ruined my life and I want you to pay."

"Leave her out of this."

"Listen to me."

"No you listen!" Jamie yelled, her temper quickly slipping. "You're not taking her away from my sister. You already took away her father. You have to stop this madness."

"Fine. But it might interest you to know that-," Suddenly he was cut off and there was the sound of a scuffle.

Everyone at the house stood there, apprehensive of what had just happened. A loud crash was heard. Dan yelled loudly before his voice was muffled. Then a familiar voice came onto the phone. "Dad?"

Nathan gasped. "Braden? What the hell? I thought you were in your room!"

"Everything's okay. We tied him up and Anna's here. She said he didn't hurt her."

Jake put his hands on the table and said firmly, "Braden, where are you?"

"We're at the beach house Dan used to live in."

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The police took Dan away and had Anna checked out by the paramedics. Everyone met at the café to have a dinner party. That is, everyone but Jamie. She had said she would be there but hadn't shown up.

David, Sean, and Braden had been lectured about being reckless, then had been praised for their heroism. Jake, Peyton, and Marie arrived and joined the celebration. The party had been going on for about an hour when Jamie arrived. Everyone got silent when she walked in the door.

"Hi. Sorry I'm so late. I'm… I'm glad you're all here, because I have an announcement to make. I'm leaving. Not for good, but for a while." Almost everyone looked like they were about to question her so she held up both hands. "Please. I don't want you all to question it, and there's nothing anyone can say to change my mind. This is something I have to do."

Karen stood up and walked over to her. "Are you going back on tour? Will we be able to call you, or find you? I'm sorry Jamie, but you have to give us more than a goodbye."

The tall blonde nodded and wiped away a few tears. "I'm not going on tour. I'm just… I'm going to get in my car and drive. I'll stay wherever, and just do whatever. This isn't because I want to leave you guys, and I'll still have my cell phone and laptop, so you can talk to me whenever you want. I just need time to… to get over Ryan's death, and I can't do that here. I can't ask any of you to understand, but this is what I have to do."

Nathan stood up, a mix of anger and confusion on his face. "What about Dan? What about his trial?"

Jamie nodded and put her hands in her pockets. "I'll be there. Heck, I might even be back before that. I don't know how long I'll be gone. It could be a week, a month, six months. I'll be back when I'm ready. I know everyone wants to help me deal with this, but going away is what I need."

Lucas walked over to her and gave her a hug. "Okay. I may not understand, but I'll support your decision." Everyone else reluctantly agreed with Lucas, except for Nathan and Peyton. Nathan walked out the front door and Peyton disappeared out the back.

When she went outside, Jamie found her brother leaning against her car. "Please don't be mad at me."

Nathan shook his head and stood up. "I'm not. It just bothers me that I can't help you."

"You can. By supporting me. I know this trip doesn't make any sense, but it's what my gut is telling me to do. I don't want to be some famous, rich musician who lost her kid and all that stuff. I want to be Jamie. The woman who drifts around and does what she wants. I don't want fancy stuff and a big house."

"I don't get it."

"Okay, think of it this way. Money isn't an issue. I've got enough to last me the rest of my life. All of that fame and glory stuff is done and over with. I'm not interested in making any more money and being well known any more. All I need in life is a chance to heal, and this is the only way."

"Alright. I still don't get it, but I'll stand by your decision on one condition. You have to call or email me at least once a week."

Jamie nodded and hugged him, tears beginning to fall. "Thank you."

As he was walking inside, Peyton passed him. When she got to the car, Jamie could tell she was upset. The curly blonde crossed her arms and looked pointedly at the ground. "So this is your idea of letting people help you?"

"Nobody can help me."

"Not if you don't let them. We all want to be there for you, but you have to be here for us to do that."

Jamie let out an angry sigh and threw her hands up in the air. "I should have just left a note. I knew coming here was a bad idea."

"Jamie!"

"What do you want me to say Peyton? I can't explain why I'm doing this. I just know that I need to go."

"What about… what if I don't want you to go?"

Jamie shook her head and sat down on the hood of her car. "No. I'm sorry. I… being friends with you is hard, because I'm constantly reminded of everything I can't have with you. I can't deal with that right now."

Peyton closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "What if there was more? What if I wanted to be more than friends with you?"

"Peyton you know that I still love you. But are you really ready to give up your marriage? Earlier today you said you don't know what you want. I want to be with you, but that can't happen as long as there's any chance you're gonna change your mind and go back to Jake."

"I know. I guess the real reason I got so upset about you leaving is because when we were at your house today, it was like it used to be. It was just you and me and the rest of the world didn't exist."

Jamie nodded. "Nothing would make me happier than being with you. But if that's going to happen, it has to happen a certain way. End your relationship with Jake, _then_ rekindle what we had. Don't end your relationship with Jake _by_ rekindling what we had."

Peyton sat down next to Jamie on the car. "I also have to put Marie first. I'm not so sure she would be okay with me leaving her father and getting back together with you."

"Everything will work out eventually. And if you do end things with Jake, I understand that you'll need time to heal. You two have been married for a long time. Right now, neither of us would be anywhere near ready to start a relationship."

Suddenly they realized that they weren't alone. Marie was standing there, a hurt expression on her face. "Mom, are you really going to leave Dad? For her?"

"No. If I leave your father it will be for me."

"I can't believe you're doing this." She turned to Jamie. "Why did you have to do this? You came in between their marriage."

Peyton stood up and stepped in front of her daughter. "Stop it. It's not her fault. Your father and I have been having problems for a long time. Way before we moved here."

Marie's hurt expression became one of defeat. She looked at Jamie and sighed. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that, especially after Ryan just died."

"It's okay."

"Mom, can I talk to Jamie alone?"

Peyton seemed surprised but nodded. "Okay."

Once her mother was gone, Marie took her spot on the car, although she didn't sit as close to the tall blonde. "My mom gave me the guitar. Thanks."

"I think Ryan would have wanted you to have it."

"Do you still love her?" she asked, jumping straight to the point.

"Yeah. I know that's probably not what you want to hear but it's the truth."

Marie nodded. "It's not your fault. You can't help the way you feel."

"But you have to know that I won't try to come between them."

"What my mom said is true though. They've been fighting for a long time. I just don't understand why."

Jamie sighed, unsure if she was the best person for the girl to talk to. "Things change. People change. A long time ago, I thought your mother and I would be together forever, but it just didn't work out that way."

Marie turned and met Jamie's gaze. "If you could go back and change things, would you?"

"I don't know. I've never even thought about it."

"Why not?"

Jamie shrugged. "Because it's pointless. Instead of spending time wondering what could have been, you should focus on the future."

"Is it selfish of me to want that future to have my parents together?"

"No. There's nothing wrong with wanting your parents to be together. Don't worry about it too much. I'm leaving, and your mom will probably work things out with your dad."

Marie stood up and crossed her arms. "I just don't understand why things changed so suddenly. Before we moved here she was trying to fix their marriage. Now it's like she's ready to give up on it."

Jamie bit her lip. "Listen, Marie, I don't know for sure, but I think she's tired of all the fighting and stuff. It isn't easy and she most likely saw me as a way to get away from it."

"So you don't think she'll leave him?"

"If they separate, I think it will be something they both decide to do."

Marie nodded and looked down. "I don't want them to get divorced, but I also want them to be happy. If being together makes them miserable, then they should split up. And… if being with you makes my mom happy, I guess that wouldn't be so bad. I'm sorry I got so mad at you. It's just hard to picture my mom with anyone other than my dad."

Jamie smiled and stood up. "You're a good kid, you know. Don't spend too much time worrying about it. What's going to happen will happen. Now let's get back inside. We're missing the party."

Throughout the party, Jamie talked to each member of the family and tried to explain why she was leaving. Everyone agreed to support her decision and she promised to either call or write at least once a week to let everyone know where she was and how she was doing. Then, the next morning, she packed what she was taking with her, loaded it into her car, and drove away. She didn't have any destination in mind. She was simply going to travel, staying in motels or whatever was there. The one plan she had was to write music as a way to help her grieve. As she was driving out of town, she also realized that she wanted to perform the music she had written. She wasn't going to call her manager and set up shows, but instead would just play whenever the opportunity arose. When she passed the city limits, she felt like a weight had lifted from her chest and that she would, in time, begin to heal.

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A/N: What did you think? Please review. Also, next chapter I will write a flashback scene to show how the boys managed to find Dan. I left it out of this chapter because it just didn't seem to fit. Oh, and one other thing. Should I write scenes to show what Jamie is doing while she's gone?


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: Sorry about the long wait. Between school, work, and the flu, I haven't been able to do much writing. I've decided to skip ahead a few months. I know that it's a big leap in time but I will have flashbacks to fill in some of what happened.

A/N 2: Italics are thoughts.

Disclaimer: I don't own One Tree Hill. I do own the kids and the plot though, so don't steal them.

Chapter 9 

Brooke handed Peyton a glass of tea and sat down next to her. "Okay, what's going on with you?"

Peyton tried to act as though she didn't know what her friend was talking about. "What do you mean?"

"Oh don't give me that. Ever since a certain someone left town you've been all mopey and depressed."

"Brooooke," she groaned, stretching her name out in annoyance. "I told you I didn't want to talk about that."

The brunette rolled her eyes and relaxed into a more comfortable position, kicking her shoes onto the floor. "Come on Peyton. Be honest, if not to me then to yourself. You're still in love with her aren't you?"

Peyton set her drink down and turned so she was facing Brooke. "Is it that obvious?"

"It is to me because I'm your best friend. You need to talk about it."

"I don't know Brooke. I don't understand where these feelings are coming from. In seventeen years we spoke maybe twice, then I come back here and it's like we're kids again. It doesn't make any sense. I've been with Jake for a lot longer than I was with her.

Brooke smiled and patted her friend's arm. "Maybe you two are soulmates."

It was Peyton's turn to roll her eyes. "If that were true, don't you think we would have stayed together?"

"Hey I'm just telling you what I see. Every time someone mentions Jamie, you look like a little kid who just found out Santa Claus isn't real."

Peyton mocked a horrified expression. "What? Santa isn't real?"

The both laughed and Brooke playfully smacked her on the head. "I'm trying to be serious."

"I know. I guess it doesn't matter right now anyway. Jamie's been gone for three months and it doesn't look like she'll be back any time soon."

Brooke raised an eyebrow. "Maybe she'd come home if she knew you wanted to be with her."

"I'm not so sure she would. I don't think she's doing as well as she says she is." When Brooke sent her a questioning look she blushed and shrugged her shoulders. "I can just tell. I don't know how."

"See? Soulmates."

Peyton crossed her arms. "Brooke…"

"Okay. Sorry. I just don't like seeing you miserable."

"And I love you for that, but you should be more worried about Jamie. My misery is nothing compared to hers."

"She won't let us help her. She sends an email once a week to let us know where she's at but that's it. It's like she wants to deal with this all on her own. Has she talked to you about anything?"

Peyton took a sip of her tea before answering. "She said that she's been driving from place to place, doing random performances and writing songs. She's trying to cope with what happened."

Brooke nodded. "As long as I've known her, she's never been able to handle tragedy well. But, despite that, she's always been here for us. Even when she was out on tour. If we needed something she would fly home to help out."

"I know what you mean. She's an amazing person. I… I have a confession to make. I asked Jake for a divorce."

"What?"

"But," she began, putting a lot of emphasis on the word. "Jake wants to keep fighting for our marriage. I thought I was sure about what I wanted but now I'm having second thoughts."

Brooke looked at her watch and groaned. "I have to get ready for my meeting at three."

"Well, thanks for trying to help me with my dilemma."

They stood up and hugged. As they were walking to the door Brooke said, "I still say go with Jamie."

Peyton laughed and opened the door. "You're never gonna give up on that are you?"

Brooke shrugged and smiled. "You wanted my advice."

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Anna closed her locker and walked outside. When she got to her brother's car she stopped and smacked herself in the forehead. She had forgotten that basketball practice had begun. Her mother also wouldn't be leaving for a while because, on top of her teaching, she worked as a tutor after school. Her only other options for rides home, April and Sean, had already left for their after school jobs.

A sudden feeling of abandonment swept over her and she felt tears welling up in her eyes. Despite her parents not wanting her to be out alone, she decided to walk home instead of waiting on her mother.

A few blocks away from the school, a car slowed down and pulled over beside her. Fear shot through her but she didn't run away. A sigh of relief escaped from her when she realized that is was Marie.

"Hey. Do you need a ride home?"

"Uh, sure."

Marie unlocked the door and Anna got in. The ride was relatively silent, the only conversation being about school. Once they got to Anna's house, the brunette said thanks for the ride and quickly walked inside.

After half an hour, Anna was still unable to relax. Every time she heard a noise she would get scared and have to walk through the entire house before she could calm down. She was trying to use the calming techniques her therapist taught her when the doorbell rang.

She was surprised when she saw Marie standing on the porch. "What are you doing here?"

Marie held up a backpack. "You left this in my car. Are you okay? You seem kind of freaked out."

Anna let out a sigh and, in a shaky voice, said, "I don't know what's wrong with me. I can't seem to get rid of this feeling of being watched."

"Do you want me to stay here until someone comes home?"

Under normal circumstances Anna would have said no, but at this point she was too freaked out to turn away company. She stepped aside to let Marie in. "Thanks. I really appreciate it."

"No problem."

"Do you want something to eat or drink?"

Marie followed Anna into the kitchen. "A drink sounds good."

Anna opened the large refrigerator and looked around in it. "We've got… pretty much everything."

"How about some flavored water?"

"Okay."

Once each had her desired drink, the two of them migrated to the expansive back yard. Marie took in the colorful flowers before sitting down with Anna next to the pool. "Feeling any better?"

Anna gave the blond a small smile. "Yeah. I know it's probably stupid to be so paranoid."

"It's not stupid. After everything you've been through you have a right to be a little paranoid. It's okay to not be okay."

"I think I'll feel a lot better once they put my grandfather in prison. The whole thing is crazy."

Flashback 

Anna looked up at the man standing in front of her. Her mouth was hanging open in shock. "You… you're… my grandfather? The one who's dead? How the hell is that even possible?"

Dan Scott sighed and shook his head. "Language Annabelle, language. There's no need to be disrespectful."

"You're psychotic! You kidnap me and then lecture me about using profanity?"

"This was never about you. I'm only using you to get to your father and his siblings. They took my life so I'm going to ruin theirs."

Anna pulled at the duct tape on her wrists. Her arms were tied behind her, keeping her stuck in the chair. "But… why? This is crazy."

Dan smirked and peeked through the curtains. "No. What's crazy is that nobody has thought to search this place yet. Besides, I wouldn't expect you to understand."

"Just let me go. You haven't hurt anyone yet. I won't tell anyone where you are, I promise."

"Oh, you are very wrong. I have hurt someone."

Anna was filled with fear. "Who?"

"Well, I guess I can't take full credit but…"

"What did you do?" Anna yelled, anxious, but terrified to know the answer.

Dan laughed and closed his eyes, as if savoring the memory. "That bitch of a daughter got hers. Your father is next, but there's no rush. For now I want to remember the look on her face as she watched her son die."

Anna's voice came out in a whisper as she realized what he meant. "Ryan… No!"

The girl's shock only seemed to make Dan happier. "Oh yes. The idiot boy saw you being thrown into the van and he tried to chase us down."

"You're a monster!"

"You have no idea." Dan said with a smirk on his face. He reached into a drawer and pulled out a brown paper bag. He dumped the contents out on the table and laughed. There was a dirty brown wig and fake mustache. He put the wig on and held the mustache up to his face. "Don't you recognize me? I have to say, I never would have thought Haley's daughter would be into drugs."

Anna's breath became ragged and tears fell down her face. "It was you! You raped me!"

Dan knelt down in front of her and laughed as she yanked at the tape, trying viciously to attack him. "I have to say, it was difficult waiting all these years. I wish I could have seen the look on your father's face when he realized I'm still alive. You'll never guess how I managed to pull this off." He stood up and began to walk around the darkened room, completely ignorant of Anna's glare. "As it turns out, my ex-wife is an incredibly horrible shot. Hell, she was probably hammered at the time anyway. When I woke up in the ambulance, it was a simple matter of bribing the paramedics. It's really amazing what money can get you."

"You're sick!" Anna hissed, tears rolling down her cheeks.

"Maybe I am but your family is still going to get what it has coming." He then walked over to the phone and dialed Nathan's number."

End Flashback 

"Anna? Anna?" Marie gently tapped the brunette on the shoulder.

"What?" Anna asked, jumping slightly. "Did you say something?"

Marie smiled. "You kind of got lost in your own little world there." She noticed the look on Anna's face and grew concerned. "Are you okay?"

Anna shook her head as tears began to flow down her cheeks. She leaned into Marie's hug and cried on her shoulder.

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Dan sighed and sat up. _How long is this going to last? Well, I guess there's pretty much no way I'm going to get acquitted. Hopefully they'll just send me to a mental hospital. I guess I can live with that. After all, I did succeed in tearing my family apart. _

His thoughts were interrupted by the guard opening the cell door. "Get up. You've got a visitor."

When he sat down in his chair, Dan found himself thankful that there was a sheet of glass between him and his visitor. He picked up the phone and said in a nonchalant tone, "Well look who it is. I must say, I'm surprised to see you."

"Oh really?"

"Yeah. Last I heard you skipped town."

Jamie let out a deep sigh before responding. "I did."

Dan laughed hysterically. "So what made you come back?"

"Your trial begins in a couple days."

"I see. You want to be here for that do you?" Jamie glared at her him but didn't respond. Dan chuckled a little before speaking again. "What's wrong? Nothing to say?"

The knuckles on the hand gripping the phone turned white as the tall blonde tried and failed to stop tears from falling. "You're gonna pay for my son's death. One way or another." She then slammed the phone down and walked away.

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Haley rushed into her house followed by Lucas, who she'd run into at the café. She had gone there searching for Anna. She called out her daughter's name but didn't get a response.

After searching the house, the worry she was feeling began to turn into panic. Following Lucas into the kitchen, she grabbed the phone off the receiver and dialed Anna's cell phone again. The sound of the teen's ringtone faintly drifted in from outside. Haley rushed to the window and looked out. A scream escaped her lips and she bolted towards the door.

Lucas followed and gasped when he saw his niece floating facedown in the pool. Without a moments hesitation he dove in and swam to her. Haley frantically dialed 911 as Lucas pulled Anna out of the pool and began CPR.

Ten minutes later, as the ambulance pulled away, Lucas was bombarded with questions from a crowd of reporters. Silently cursing his family's fame, he pushed his way through to his car and drove off, nearly mowing down a couple of reporters that tried to block his way.

_I think there's some sort of curse on this family. Lately things have been just as they were when I was a kid. This is all Dan's fault. Why did I have to pull him out of the dealership fire? If I'd just left him there… _

When he got to the hospital, Nathan and Braden were already there. After a few minutes he went outside and called the rest of family to alert them of the situation. The last number he dialed was his twin sister's, and he was shocked when her ringtone sounded from about ten feet away from him. Turning around he saw Jamie standing there looking at him.

"Hey."

"Hey yourself. How's Anna doing?"

Lucas' brow furrowed in confusion. "How do you know already?"

Jamie shrugged. "Saw it on the news."

"So… how long have you been back?"

"I got in last night. I would have called but I just wasn't ready."

Lucas put away his phone and crossed his arms. "Are you back for good or just for the trial?"

Slightly hurt by her brother's coldness, Jamie walked closer and looked up at him. "I'm not going anywhere."

Lucas uncrossed his arms and pulled his sister into a hug. "I'm sorry. It's just been a rough few months."

"I know." Jamie said, pulling back and wiping her eyes. "I should have been here. I should have come back, but I couldn't bring myself to."

Nodding toward the hospital entrance, the older twin said, "Let's go see if there's any news on Anna's condition.

When the twins entered the hospital, the crowd of reporters that were being prevented from bothering Nathan and Haley attempted to swarm them.

"Mr. Scott, have you heard anything about the condition of your niece?"

"Mr. Scott, do you have anything to say about your father's upcoming trial?"

"Miss Bradshaw, are you back in town for the trial or-,"

"Miss Bradshaw, where have you been all this time? Is it true that-,"

"That's enough!" a very commanding voice said, forcing his way through the crowd. Jake held up his badge and, with the assistance of another officer, ushered the reporters toward the door. "The hospital staff has requested that all media remain outside of the hospital. I'm sure that, if you are patient, someone will eventually make a statement on the situation."

Once the entrance was clear, Jake turned back around and nodded at Lucas. Jamie sent him a grateful smile but he deliberately ignored her gaze and walked past them.

As she watched the detective's retreating back she asked, "What's eating him?"

Lucas shook his head and began leading the way to Anna's room. "Things aren't going well between him and Peyton."

Jamie remained silent, knowing that she was the cause of the tension between the married couple. When they reached the room, everyone waiting was shocked to see the blonde musician. Jamie was thankful though, because they all seemed happy to see her. The rest of the family arrived quickly after that and they all waited.

Forty-five minutes after Anna had arrived at the hospital, a doctor came out into the waiting room. "Mr. and Mrs. Scott? Can I speak to you in private?" Nathan and Haley followed the doctor, frantic about their daughter. "Annabelle is fine physically. It's her mental state I'm worried about."

Haley tightened her grip on her husband's hand. "She… she did this to herself didn't she?"

The doctor nodded solemnly. "I'm afraid so."

Nathan ran a hand through his hair and closed his eyes. "How can you be sure? Maybe she slipped and fell into the pool."

"She confirmed my suspicions. I'm sorry to have to tell you this, but there is no doubt that your daughter tried to kill herself."

"Can we see her?" Haley asked, trying hard to keep it together.

"Of course."

When they entered the room, Anna immediately turned from them and stared at the wall. "Go away."

Nathan and Haley sat down in chairs next to the bed. Haley wiped her eyes and reached out for her daughter's hand. When Anna jerked it away, the distressed mother let out a quiet sob.

"Anna please. Talk to us sweetie."

"I don't want to talk. I just want you guys to go away."

Nathan grabbed his wife's trembling hand. "We're not going anywhere. We're going to help you through this."

"Your idea of helping me is hiring some shrink and going about your business. You've both been so busy with your crap at school."

"Anna, your mother and I try to talk to you every day. We want to help you but you have to let us in. I know we can't fully understand what happened to you but we're doing the best we can."

Anna snorted and glanced at her father. "Oh really? Do you remember what today is?"

Suddenly Haley gasped and looked up at her daughter. "Oh my god. It's your birthday."

"Yeah. You guys didn't even say happy birthday this morning. I know it can't be easy for you to deal with me but you don't have to block me out completely."

Nathan let out a sigh and hung his head. "I'm so sorry Anna. These past few months… trying to deal with everything has been really hard and… we didn't mean to hurt you."

The distraught teen blinked back tears and looked away again. "It's not your fault. I know you guys have been doing the best you can. It's just not enough. I can't deal with it anymore. Will you please leave?"

Nathan and Haley didn't want to go but they knew that pushing their daughter to talk with them wouldn't help anything. Out in the waiting room, Nathan told his wife to sit down while he explained what happened to the others. After he was done, he turned to his sister and motioned for her to come with him. They walked down the hall to a coffee machine. While he dropped quarters into the machine he sighed and looked at Jamie.

"I have to ask you to do something for me. I know you just got back and you're already dealing with enough but I don't know who else to turn to."

Jamie put a supportive hand on her brother's arm. "You want me to talk her?"

Nathan nodded, tears welling up in his eyes. Jamie took the cup of coffee out of his hand and set it aside. She hugged her brother and felt tears of her own close to the surface as Nathan cried. When they parted he smiled and wiped his eyes.

"Thanks. I shouldn't have lost it like that."

"Nobody expects you to be strong all the time."

"I hate asking you to talk to her… I just don't know anyone else who's…"

Jamie's eyes dropped to the scar on her right wrist. "I understand. It's the least I can do. I told Anna that I would be here for her and I wasn't. She needed someone who understood what she was going through and I left."

Nathan's grateful look quickly turned into one of confusion. "Jamie…"

Jamie gasped when she realized how revealing her words had been.

"I…"

"It was you. After the rape happened we wanted Anna to talk to a professional and she said she didn't need to because she already had someone to talk to."

"Nathan, I don't know what to say."

"When? When did it happen to you?"

Jamie closed her eyes and bit her lip. "It was a long time ago. When I was in prison. I'm sorry I never told anyone. I just…"

"It's okay." Nathan said, pulling his sister into another hug. "I can't imagine how hard it must have been for you to tell Anna."

"Please don't tell anyone. I've put it behind me and this family is already going through enough."

"Okay."

Jamie walked toward Anna's room, subconsciously rubbing her scar. When she entered the short brunette actually seemed to cheer up a little.

"I didn't know you were here."

"Yep. I'm back. But I obviously didn't get back in time."

Anna lay back and stared at the ceiling. "I suppose you're here to tell me how stupid I was."

Jamie took the seat by the bed and shook her head. "No. I'm not going to do that because I know that it won't help. I know what it's like to feel as though you don't have any other choice but to end your life."

"Do you ever wish that you had succeeded?"

Letting out a sigh, the tall blonde blinked back tears. "Sometimes. But then I think about all the good things I never would have experienced if I had. Coming to Tree Hill and meeting our family, falling in love, raising Ryan. You see Anna, the pain never fully goes away, but over time is gets easier and easier to deal with."

Anna nodded. "It was just too much to deal with."

"I know. I should have been here for you. I promised you that I would be and I just up and left."

Shaking her head, Anna sat up and wiped her eyes. "You were dealing with something unbearable and you had to get away. I think I understood that more than anyone."

Jamie reached into her pocket and pulled out a scrunchie. She pulled her long blonde hair up and said, "Don't be too hard on your parents. There's no way they can understand what it's like. I do, and I promise you that you won't have to go through this alone."

"So it'll get better?"

"Eventually. But it's going to get harder first. Especially with the media involved and the upcoming trial."

Anna tensed up. "Do you think they'll make me talk about what happened?"

"They can't make you do it. If you're up to it, then do it. If not, don't even try."

"What about school?"

Jamie smiled. "I think you'll be okay, considering that most of the family will be there with you."

Anna nodded and laid back down. "Thanks for talking to me. It's kind of nice to have someone here who understands. I think I'm going to go to sleep. It's been a long day."

Jamie smiled at her niece and opened the door. When she exited the room she came face to face with the last person she was expecting.

"Peyton."

"Jamie!"

The curly blonde gaped for a moment before hugging her ex-girlfriend tightly. "When did you get back?" She pulled back and shook her head. "I'm sorry. I just…"

Jamie smiled. "It's okay."

Pulling away, Peyton shook her head. "No it's not. Marie blames herself for what happened and she's really freaked out."

"What? How can she blame herself?"

The two of them began walking down the hall, in the opposite direction of the waiting room.

"Marie was at their house and was going to wait with Anna until someone came home, but when one of her friends called and asked her for a ride Anna told her to go."

Jamie sighed and shook her head. "This is so screwed up. Marie blames herself, Nathan and Haley blame themselves, and nobody's been blaming the person who's really responsible."

Peyton nodded. "Dan."

"I know Anna made the choice to end her life, but that monster drove her to it."

"So… how have you been?"

"Not great." Jamie replied with a faint smile. "But I'm doing better."

Peyton stopped and faced the taller blonde. "Does that mean you're back for good?"

"Yeah. I haven't exactly gotten over Ryan's death but I've managed to find some peace with it. Getting away really helped. I was able to put all that grief and anger into my music and, in doing so, I was able to move on a little."

Peyton smiled and hugged Jamie. "Good. Ryan would want you to be happy."

"I know."

They continued walking and Peyton began to fidget with her hands. "So what are your plans? I know you were thinking about going on tour when Ryan graduated…"

Jamie shook her head and let out a small laugh. "That won't be happening for quite a while. I've still got a lot of writing to do before I start recording. Then, once I get the cd recorded and it gets released, I'll go on tour."

"How long do you think it will take? It would be nice to have you here for a while."

"I'm not in a rush to finish it. After so much time away it'll be nice to settle back in and see my family."

Peyton smiled and slipped her hand into Jamie's. They both looked down at their hands and blushed but didn't let go. "I'm glad you're staying."

The immediate comfort they felt in each other's touch did not go unnoticed by either woman, nor did it go unnoticed by a certain dark haired detective watching them from down the hall.

Jake sighed and pulled out the divorce papers and sat down in a chair. With a defeated expression on his face, he signed them and walked up to the women. Without saying a word he handed the forms to Peyton and walked away.

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A/N: Next chapter will be the trial. Please review and let me know what you think. I'm sorry for the long wait and I'll try to have the next chapter up as soon as possible.


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: Thanks for all of the reviews. I've decided to write the trial a little differently from the rest of the fic. Each person is going to have their own chapter to give their testimony.

Disclaimer: I don't own One Tree Hill, but you probably knew that already.

Rating: M

**Chapter 10**

David straightened his tie and ran a comb through his hair. The thought that he should have gotten it cut ran through his mind but he quickly pushed it to the back of his mind. Right now he needed to focus. The last thing he wanted was to get confused or tongue-tied in the courtroom.

When he walked through the door he began to get slightly nervous. He had expected a lot of people but he didn't expect the courtroom to be packed to maximum capacity.

_I guess when you belong to the most famous family in Tree Hill this what you get. Former basketball star and mayor who was thought to be dead for nearly twenty years gets put on trial for… well a crapload of things. I can't believe I'm related to him. I never thought I would wish someone was dead but we all would have been better off if Dan had really died when Uncle Nate's mom shot him._

Once he had taken the stand, the District Attorney asked him to relive how he, Sean, and Braden had rescued Annabelle.

**Flashback**

Braden swung his legs over the tall, fancy wooden fence and dropped to the ground. He quickly jumped into the backseat of David's Trailblazer and shut the door. David hit the gas and sped away.

After much debate, they decided to begin their search at some of the places Dan would have been familiar with. The first was the building that used to be the dealership. After they had checked that, they moved on to Tric.

**End Flashback**

The DA took a step closer to the stand. "Why would you search there? Wouldn't that be a horrible place for Mr. Scott to hide?"

David nodded and took a deep breath. _Calm down. You've played basketball in front of hundreds of people. This should be cake._

"We decided to look there because nobody would have thought to. It was too obvious, therefore everyone would assume Dan wouldn't go to the club."

"And that's how you came up with the real hiding place isn't it?"

"Yeah…"

**Flashback**

The three teens met at the bar inside Tric and sat down. Braden slumped forward, his head hidden in his left arm, and slammed his other hand down on the counter.

Sean sighed and clapped his cousin on the shoulder. "Dude, we'll find her."

Braden sat up and shook his head. "We're wasting our time. This guy faked his own death. I'd say he knows a thing or two about hiding."

David racked his brain for ideas. "The cops said that he would probably be somewhere familiar. Where did he live before his supposed death?"

"He lived with my grandma until they split up. Then he lived at…" The blonde twins looked at their cousin expectantly. The dark haired teen stood up and pointed in an eastward direction. "He used to live at a beach house! That's another one of those 'obvious places' you were talking about."

They went outside and immediately drove to the beach. It took driving past it three times before Braden finally recognized the house. David drove down the road a little further so they wouldn't tip Dan off if he was hiding there, and the three of them walked down to the beach.

Braden nearly made a mad dash for the beach house but the others held him back. They convinced him that it would be better to sneak their way in. When they got there they quickly found that the doors were locked. The two windows they tried were as well. There was no doubt in their minds that the place looked suspicious.

David crouched down and led them around to the back again. In a whisper he said, "All the blinds and curtains are pulled closed on the first floor, but the ones on the second are open. Maybe there's a window that's unlocked as well."

Sean looked at his brother like he was crazy. "You want us to climb up there for a window that **might** be unlocked?"

"I'll do it," Braden whispered, looking for a place to climb up. "I have an idea. Our own beach house is only about a mile down the road. There should be a ladder there."

The youngest Scott shook his head. "The roof around the side isn't as high as the rest. We boost one of us up, then another, then the two on the roof pull the last up."

David and Braden agreed and they did as Sean had suggested.

**End Flashback**

"The third window we tried was unlocked. We snuck downstairs and heard…" The DA raised an eyebrow. He knew exactly what David was about to say but wanted the teen to get it out. "we heard Annabelle scream that Dan had… had raped her. I wanted to go charging in but there was no way of knowing whether or not he had a weapon."

"So how did you apprehend him?"

"After he had begun his phone call to my Uncle Nathan's house, we tackled him. He was strong but there were three of us and we easily overpowered him."

The DA nodded and returned to his table. "No further questions."

Dan's attorney stood up and began to walk toward the stand in a lazy zigzag motion. "David… how long did it take you to overpower my client?"

"It was pretty much a one sided fight. Braden and Sean held him down while I tied his arms behind his back."

"So if you took him down immediately, why did your cousin Braden feel the need to kick him?

David felt anger boiling toward the surface. He couldn't understand how someone could try to defend what Dan had done. "Dan raped and kidnapped his little sister."

"And you believe that this justifies Braden assaulting the defendant?"

The DA stood up. "Objection your honor."

The judge gave the defense attorney a stern look. "Mr. Lambert, the defendant's grandson is not on trial for assault. Keep your questions relevant."

The attorney nodded. "No further questions."

The judge picked up her gavel and said, "We'll adjourn for today. Court will be back in session tomorrow at ten a.m."

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A/N: I know it's short but the next chapter will be up soon.


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: Thanks for the reviews. This was originally written as more than one chapter but I decided to combine it all together. Don't worry if it seems unorganized and confusing. Chapter 12 will fill in all the holes.

Disclaimer: Don't own One Tree Hill, just my original characters and the plot. Also, I don't own any songs are played or sang.

Rating: M

**Chapter 11**

Anna stared determinedly at the corner of the DA's table. She knew that if she looked at Dan she would break down and be unable to speak. When the DA approached her she looked up at him and began to shake.

"Annabelle, I know this is difficult for you, but I would like you to answer a few questions if that's okay." All the terrified teen could do was nod. "You were recently abducted, correct?"

"Yes."

"Is the man who took you in this room?"

"Yes," Anna said, her voice cracking.

"Could you please point at him?"

Anna looked, for the first time, at Dan and felt her stomach twist into knots. Lifting an arm she pointed at him and choked back a sob. "Him. He kidnapped and raped me."

The DA stepped back to his table and picked up a piece of paper. "When you say he raped you, are you referring to the incident that occurred before the abduction?"

"Yes." Anna replied, tears beginning to fall.

"But you didn't know who he was when he raped you?"

"No. He wore a wig and a fake mustache. Plus I thought he was dead." By this point she was crying much harder and could barely be understood.

"No further questions."

The judge looked at Dan's attorney questionably. "Mr. Lambert?"

"No questions your honor."

"Okay. Miss Scott you may step down."

As Anna was escorted out by a court officer, the entire jury had sympathetic looks on their faces.

Later that day, at home, Anna lay on her bed, tossing and turning from the dream she was experiencing.

_The weight of his body pressed down on her, his hand covering her mouth so she couldn't call for help. He began to thrust in and out, and Anna cried out into his hand._

Suddenly she jerked awake and sat up. Pulling her knees up to her chest, she began to sob.

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_I never could've seen this far_

_I never could've seen this coming_

_Seems like my world's falling apart_

_Yeah_

_Why is everything so hard_

_I don't think I can deal with the things you said_

_It just won't go away_

_In a perfect world_

_This could never happen_

_In a perfect world_

_You'd still be here_

_And it makes no sense_

_I could just pick up the pieces_

_But to you_

_This means nothing_

_Nothing at all_

_I used to think that I was strong_

_Until the day it all went wrong_

_I think I need a miracle to make it through_

_Yeah_

_I wish that I could bring you back_

_I wish that I could turn back time_

_Cuz I can't let you go_

_I just can't find my way_

_Yeah_

_Without you I just can't find my way_

_In a perfect world_

_This could never happen_

_In a perfect world_

_You'd still be here_

_And it makes no sense_

_I could just pick up the pieces_

_But to you _

_This means nothing_

_Nothing at all_

_I don't know what I should do now_

_I don't know where I should go_

_I'm still here waiting for you_

_I'm lost when you're not around_

_I need to hold on to you_

_I just can't let you go_

_Yeah_

_Yeah_

_In a perfect world_

_This could never happen_

_In a perfect world_

_You'd still be here_

_And it makes no sense_

_I could just pick up the pieces_

_But to you_

_This means nothing_

_Nothing at all_

_Nothing, nothing at all_

_Nothing at all_

Jamie picked up her remote and shut her radio off. Tears welled up in her eyes but she refused to let them fall. She was tired of being a weak, emotional mess. When Dan's lawyer had questioned her earlier that day, she had been reduced to tears when asked to speak of her son's death.

**Flashback**

Miss Bradshaw, Dan Scott is your father correct?"

Jamie sighed and looked at the DA. She knew where he was going with this but it still disgusted her to admit her relation to the man sitting a mere twenty feet from her.

"Biologically, yes."

"Could you please explain what you mean by that?"

"I didn't meet Dan Scott until I was eighteen years old."

"And wasn't that the first time he learned of your existence?"

Jamie nodded, risking a quick glance at Dan. "Yes."

"Why didn't he know about you?"

"Because he abandoned my mother after getting her pregnant."

"What happened when Mr. Scott learned that you were his daughter?"

Jamie looked right into Dan's eyes when she answered. "He immediately drove to my mother's house and attempted to kill her and my unborn sister."

The DA nodded and continued his questioning. "He obviously didn't succeed. What happened to prevent him from doing this?"

"My brothers stopped him."

"He was put in the hospital correct?"

Jamie nodded. "When my brother Lucas saw what Dan had done to our mother he lost control."

"But Dan didn't remain in the hospital for long did he?"

"No. A few days later he arrived at our house and tried to kill Lucas and me."

The DA stepped back to his table and said, "No further questions."

Dan's lawyer stood up and shuffled through a stack of papers. "Miss Bradshaw, do you believe that your father is guilty of all the charges against him."

"Dan Scott is guilty of everything he's on trial for."

"So you don't consider him to be your father?"

Jamie seethed in anger. She knew what the lawyer was trying to do, but she didn't know a way to stop him. "No. I had a father. He raised me, loved me, and never tried to kill me." She knew Dan's lawyer was going to bring up her father's death but she wasn't going to go down without a fight.

"The man you are referring to, your adopted father William Bradshaw, is dead correct?"

"Yes."

"He was killed in a car accident that was ruled as your fault wasn't he?"

The DA quickly jumped up. "Objection your honor. What relevance does this have to the trial?"

The judge, who didn't know the details of Jamie's past, shook her head. "Overruled. Answer the question Miss Bradshaw."

Jamie took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Yes."

"And you were convicted of vehicular manslaughter correct?"

"That conviction was overturned. There was evidence discovered after my trial."

"What about the time you spent in a mental institution following an attempt to end your own life?"

"Objection your honor! This has no relevance."

This time the judge agreed with the DA. "Sustained."

Dan's attorney then decided to jump to the present. "Miss Bradshaw, do you blame Dan Scott for the death of your adopted son Ryan Keller?"

A pair of tears fell down Jamie's cheeks. The DA started to object but Jamie answered before he could speak. "Yes!"

"I'm sorry for your loss. The pain and grief you are going through must be indescribable. Couldn't it be said that your judgment and therefore your testimony against your father are biased in some way?"

Jamie tried to speak but was too overcome with emotion. As she tried to calm herself down, the DA stood up. "Objection. Miss Bradshaw's testimony is not suspect, and she voluntarily underwent a psychological evaluation to prove so."

Dan's attorney glanced at the jury and realized his mistake. He had been attempting to discredit Jamie, but had instead gained her a lot of sympathy. "Question withdrawn your honor. No further questions."

**End Flashback**

Jamie closed her eyes and started to cry. After a few minutes she picked up the phone and dialed a number. "Peyton? I know we agreed to put things on hold until after the trial but… I need you right now."

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Brooke sat down next to Jamie and rolled her eyes when the brooding blonde didn't look up. She was chewing on her bottom lip and staring at the wall.

"I guess they don't call you guys twins for nothing."

A smile crept onto the blonde's lips. "I don't brood as much as he does."

"Yeah, okay. If you say so."

Before Jamie could think up a good comeback, Nathan came hurrying up to them. "The jury's done deliberating."

The entire family took up a row in the courtroom. They had all been waiting for this moment. The trial had lasted three weeks, due to the amount of things Dan had been charged with.

"Will the defendant please rise?"

Dan stood up and clenched his fists. For the first time since his trial began, he was showing signs of nervousness.

"On the charges of kidnapping, how do you find the defendant?"

"Guilty."

"On the charges of rape, how do you find the defendant?"

"Guilty."

The charges were listed off, each with a guilty verdict, until there was only one left.

"On the charge of murder in the first degree, how do you find the defendant?"

Jamie felt her sister tense up. She knew that April desperately wanted Dan to pay for killing her father.

"Guilty."

"Very well. Sentencing will take place tomorrow at eleven a.m."

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As the rest of the family filed out of the courtroom, Lucas, Nathan and Jamie waited behind. They had agreed to a press conference immediately following the trial.

As Nathan straightened his tie, he sighed. "So much for staying out of the spotlight."

Jamie laughed. "This trial made national headlines." Her brothers looked at her in surprise and smiled. It was the first time they had seen her laugh since Ryan's death.

A court officer approached them and said the press was waiting for them. When they stepped into the room, cameras began to flash and the noisy chatter died down a little.

Jamie, who had done this more than her brothers, stepped up to a microphone. "Thank you all for coming here today. I'm sure you all have questions so why don't we begin."

"Are you satisfied with the jury's decision?"

Lucas stepped up to answer this. "Justice was found here today. I think I can speak for my entire family when I say that we are glad to see Dan Scott where he belongs, behind bars."

Forty-five minutes later, the trio walked outside and got into the waiting limo. Lucas and Nathan had been against the fancy car but Jamie insisted it was the best thing to do. She had said that the press would have a field day if three of the richest people in Tree Hill drove themselves home from the courthouse.

Lucas sighed and loosened his tie. "God I hate being famous."

Nathan and Jamie both laughed. They had much more experience with the press than their brother, and his slight embarrassment amused them. Soon they were all laughing and talking about the past.

When the limo stopped in front of Nathan's house, Jamie leaned over and gave him a hug. "I'll see you later. Go be with you wife and kids. After the last few months, it's time to be happy and enjoy the little things in life."

When they got to Lucas' house, the older twin pulled his sister into a side hug. "Are you sure you don't want to come in for a while?"

"I'm sure. I think I need some time alone."

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Anna walked into Tric and looked around. With the exception of the one person on the stage, the place was empty. As she silently approached the stage, she listened to the song Jamie was singing. The blonde musician was sitting with her legs hanging off the stage, playing an acoustic guitar.

"I am what you see

I am not what they say

But if I turned out to be

Could you love me anyway?"

She stopped when she saw Anna. "Hey."

"I can go if you want to be alone."

Jamie smiled and shook her head. "Nah. Have a seat." Once Anna had hopped up onto the stage she spoke again. "What's on your mind?"

"I don't know, exactly. It's kind of hard to explain."

"Well, we've got this place to ourselves for the next…" She paused to look at her watch. "six hours. Take your time."

Anna nodded. "I feel sort of… detached. Like everyone else is walking along one path, and I'm walking along another. Does that make any sense?"

"It makes a lot of sense. I used to feel like that a lot. I think it comes from going through something that nobody else around you can understand."

"Is that how you felt after the accident?"

A small frown crept onto Jamie's lips. "Yeah. It was… pretty awful. But, I learned something when I left. I realized that I had been growing more and more detached from who I was. All the fame and money was great, especially for raising a kid, but it just wasn't me. When Ryan was gone I didn't know who I was anymore."

"So that's why you left? To find yourself again?"

"Well, that's what happened, but the real reason I left was just being scared. I didn't know how to get on with my life, and I was scared of asking for help. The funny thing about it all, is the person who gave me the advice that allowed me to let Ryan go and move on."

Anna leaned back so that she was resting on her elbows. "Who helped you?"

"An old homeless man. I had pulled off the road into this little area and he had a tent set up there. Common sense told me to get the hell out of there before he killed me in my sleep, but instead I stayed. He listened to my story, and at the end he asked me a question. He asked me what the most enjoyable part of music was."

The short brunette nodded, immersed in the story. "What did you say?"

"I said that the thing I loved the most was just sitting there playing an acoustic guitar, singing a song that's full of emotion."

"But I thought you were into all that hard rock and stuff."

Jamie laughed and shrugged. "I am. What I mean is… the music I played for my band, I had very little influence on. It was awesome music and really fun to play, but it didn't allow me to express myself. That's what writing music is all about."

Anna sat up and pulled her legs up to her chest. "So what did the old man tell you to do?"

"He said that I should just do what I said. Play my acoustic guitar and do what feels right. So I did. I decided to leave all the fame and money behind. I took my backpack, a duffel bag and my guitar, and hitchhiked to the nearest bus station."

"What about the rest of your stuff?"

"I didn't need it. I had clothes, money for food and a place to sleep, and my guitar. I'm sure the homeless man got a nice surprise when he woke up though."

Anna was deep in thought. Jamie could tell she was working up to saying something so she sat in silence. "Did it work? Did you start to feel better?"

The blonde musician laughed and nodded her head emphatically. "More so than I ever would have imagined. At first I felt guilty. But I eventually realized that Ryan would want me to move on. That kept me going. I was getting better, not just for myself, but for him as well." She picked up her guitar again and strummed it a few times. "But I'm not recommending that you take a trip across the country."

Anna laughed and nodded. "I was thinking… maybe I could write music too. I mean, I can sing, so…"

Jamie nodded. "Sometimes music allows you to express your feelings in a way regular words can't. So you say you can sing huh?"

"Yeah. I can show you, if you want."

"Okay. Now we just need a song for us to sing." Jamie chewed her bottom lip for a few moments before smiling. "Do you know any songs by the band Nickelback?" Anna nodded. "Well there's this one song that is really inspiring, and I think it kind of fits this situation. It's called 'If Everyone Cared."

Anna's face lit up. "I love that song. Yeah, let's sing that."

Jamie nodded and went to the d.j. podium. She selected the song from the karaoke files and started messing with the settings. Thanks to the new computer program, she was able to set it up so the vocals and one guitar part wouldn't be played. Picking up an electric guitar she had been playing earlier, she set it to the right tuning and motioned for Anna to come over and get a microphone. "I'll sing Chad's part. Is that cool with you?"

"Sure."

The tall blonde then pressed play and took her place in front of a microphone.

From underneath the trees, we watch the sky

Confusing stars for satellites

I never dreamed that you'd be mine

But here we are, we're here tonight

Singing Amen, I, I'm alive

Singing Amen, I, I'm alive

If everyone cared and nobody cried

If everyone loved and nobody lied

If everyone shared and swallowed their pride

Then we'd see the day when nobody died

And I'm singing

Amen I, Amen I, I'm alive

Amen I, Amen I, I'm alive

And in the air the fireflies

Our only light in paradise

We'll show the world they were wrong

And teach them all to sing along

Singing Amen, I, I'm alive

Singing Amen, I, I'm alive

If everyone cared and nobody cried

If everyone loved and nobody lied

If everyone shared and swallowed their pride

Then we'd see the day when nobody died

If everyone cared and nobody cried

If everyone loved and nobody lied

If everyone shared and swallowed their pride

Then we'd see the day when nobody died

And as we lie beneath the stars

We realize how small we are

If they could love like you and me

Imagine what the world could be

If everyone cared and nobody cried

If everyone loved and nobody lied

If everyone shared and swallowed their pride

Then we'd see the day when nobody died

If everyone cared and nobody cried

If everyone loved and nobody lied

If everyone shared and swallowed their pride

Then we'd see the day when nobody died

We'd see the day, we'd see the day

When nobody died

We'd see the day, we'd see the day

When nobody died

We'd see the day when nobody died

Jamie stopped playing and clapped her hands. "Wow. I had no idea you could sing that good."

The brunette blushed and shrugged. "I used to sing with my mom when I was younger."

"Why'd you stop?"

"I don't know. I think it reminded her too much of what she gave up."

"Hmm. Maybe you should ask her to start singing with you again."

Anna shrugged. "I was kind of hoping that maybe you and I could do this."

Jamie set her guitar down and led her niece down to the bar. "Listen… I don't have a problem with that, but this is probably something you should do with your mom. I can tell you and your parents have been growing apart, and that's a problem that shouldn't be ignored."

Sitting down on a stool, the short brunette rested her chin in one hand and stared at the counter. "I know. It's just hard to talk to them. Ever since I… you know… in the pool…. It's like we don't know what to say. The blame isn't all on them, because I've been doing it too, but I can't fix the problem on my own."

Jamie sighed. "Do you want me to talk to them for you?"

"No. I think it's best if I do it. But will you please reconsider the music thing?"

"Okay. How about you come by the recording studio tomorrow after school. If you're serious about writing music, you should learn more about what goes on."

Anna smiled. "I'll be there." Jamie was a little surprised when her niece hugged her. As she watched her walk away she shook her head and sighed again. She understood the kind of pain the girl was going through, and she also knew how difficult it was to let people help.

Walking back onto the stage, she began to pack up her instruments. "You can come out now."

Haley stepped out of a doorway and walked over to her sister-in-law. "I guess you were right. But this feels like I'm spying on her."

"It was the only way I could show you what she's like when she lets her guard down. She puts on a pretty good act at home doesn't she?"

"Yeah. I don't know how things got so bad. What am I supposed to do?"

"Be there for her, but don't push too hard. She just needs to feel that she can talk to you without having her defenses up. It's not going to be easy, for anyone, and it's going to take time."

Haley nodded and wrapped her arms around herself. "Thank you. It means a lot that you're helping her like this. I know it can't be easy for you."

Jamie shrugged. "Just because I'm going through something difficult doesn't mean I have the right to turn a blind eye to other people's suffering. I'm happy to help, any way I can."

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A/N: Let me know what you thing. I know I need to involve the other characters more, but I'm having trouble coming up with ideas.


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